Ashen Lilies and Scarlet Parsely
by AmeNeko
Summary: Trouble comes fast for Ash Ketchum; suddenly, dangers arise, and a villain he presumed dead returns with a desire for revenge against him. Horrors unfold, love blossoms, faith teeters on the edge, and a close friend will have to make a decision that will affect them all. Our favorite Kanto Trainer will have to make a stand, but will it be too late? Ash/Iris, Cilan/Burgundy
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone, here I am, AmeNeko coming with another story! I got some positive reviews for my LethalAttractionShipping one-shot, so I thought it was time to post my chaptered fic. I hope you all enjoy it. Now, off we go! This story contains many different little references. Have fun finding them~!**

**Disclaimer; I don't own Pokémon, the majority of the characters in the story, and the majority of the characters in the Author's Notes. I only own Cat-Like and Salamance's personality (putting this story is redundant). Everything else is owned by their respected owners.**

oOo

Ashen Lilies and Scarlet Parsley

A Pokémon Tale

_Rated T for violence, mild language, romance, and hinted rape_

_Ash/Iris, Cilan/Burgundy, with minor Luke/Bianca and Oshawott/Emolga._

ooooooooooo

Prologue

~Welcome~

_Fate is a funny thing. Think of it as a path, a long, winding, twisting road that's shadowed over up ahead, so you never know what's coming. Some things are good, some are surprising, some are…pretty nasty. The ones I've come across…ha, there are too many to count, to name, each turn sharper and more treacherous…They all have an ending as well. Some end beautifully, and despite the tears shed, the problems overcome are no more...yet others end at a cliff, where you tumble down, down, down, into the darkness..._

_But I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? I am here, for one purpose, and that's to give you a story. This one is of action…torture…sin…and…love too. All those wonderful…emotions…love, hate, anger, sadness, happiness, confusion, so rich and colorful… _

_There are some people in this dramatic tale. Who are they? Allow me to introduce you to them myself, though you may already be familiar with them. If you are, I'm not surprised._

_Well, first, there's Cilan. He's come a long way. He has the most patience, skills, and eccentric nature I've ever seen. Then there's Burgundy. She appears a little later then the rest…she has a lot of spunk, if I do say so myself. Under all that fire, though, she's pretty sweet…quite unbelievable, if you've ever met her, face to face. Then there's Iris. She's brave, quick, and feisty, but caring too…she's cute in a daring way. There is also Ash. He seems to suffer so much…yet he's still alive and kicking. He has quite a lot of courage, endurance, and has a surprisingly crafty mind, and he can be obnoxious, too…_

_Oh? Who am I, you ask? Silly me, I forgot about introducing myself._

_I am called Forever. I am everything and I am nothing. I am the clouds in the sky, the wind on your face, like breath itself. I am everywhere and nowhere. But do not be alarmed. It has always been that way. I stumbled upon this…incident from another world, quite different from the one you so happily resign in now. I was drawn by…the emotions, so many wonderful emotions…I became immune of such things eons ago…so I strive for them, search for them. I can show you the memory, this account that is begging to be told. Even when it gets frightening, do not be afraid, for I will be with you, during every amount of bloodshed, love, hate, betrayal, confusion…_

_Are you ready? Let's start at the best place to commence in anything…the beginning._

**ooooooooo**

**Me; Now doesn't that look professional?**

**Bernkastel; That was pointless.**

**Me; It's called a drabble prologue. Notes!**

**Forever is based on the character from Arjen Luccasen's music album Ayreon; Journey Into the Electric Castle (Its really good; I highly suggest you listen to it. But that's beside the point). Forever is the character that leads the heroes to the castle, dropping hints and narration with every new place. He is actually somewhat annoying to me in the album (but his voice is amaaazing), so I toned it down in this story. Basically, he's the presenter of my crap. Except he doesn't give you a pointless introduction each time. Call him the butler of my mind palace, if you must.**

**I hope I hyped you guys up for Chapter One. Bye for now!**

**Bernkastel; ….**


	2. Chapter 1

**Here comes the first chapter, everyone. I hope it's enjoyed by you all. Oh, and this fanfiction is split into three parts. This is the beginning of the first one. Enjoy!**

**Part One- Clash**

Chapter One  
Shadows and Blood

_With secrets, tension, shadows, and blood,  
And still more on the way,  
Who knows what is yet to bud?_

Cilan Creeke, 14, looked up at the evening sky. The setting golden sun's dying rays were a pale yellow against the darker violet. Already, small white stars dotted the gloomy heavens. It was light a painter had splashed a swirl of bright colours across the sky and had purposely left a few small spots on the pallid canvas blank.

The young green eyed teen smiled a little at this. The day had been long for him and his companions, a young 12 year old boy named Ash Ketchum and a 12 ½ year old girl named Iris Dracoblossom. The sun had made the day scorching hot, and not to mention the heated argument between Ash and Iris over who-knows-what. After all of the excitement and fuss that day, Cilan needed to rest his troubled mind. Besides, something was worrying him, gnawing at the back of his mind since this morning…

Cilan turned to the younger raven-haired boy next to him, "It's getting late, Ash. We should probably find somewhere to camp out for the night. "

Ash nodded in agreement, although somewhat distractedly, "Yeah…you're right…" he muttered rather quietly, luckily loud enough for Cilan to hear.

The Gym Leader narrowed his eyes. It seemed unusual to him for the usually energetic boy to be so…remote_. Maybe his argument with Iris is starting to get to him?_Cilan wondered. It was possible, after all, because Iris had gotten rather upset and she wasn't talking to him anymore, after everything he had said…

"Ash, are you okay?" Cilan asked, concerned. Ash looked up at the Connoisseur and nodded. "Yup…I'm just fine!" he lied, not willing to share with the older Trainer what he was feeling.

oooo

That night, all seemed still. They had set up camp and settled down for slumber…how many hours ago? Ash and Iris were in their own respective sleeping bags (the tree branches were too bunched up for Iris to sleep in, it seemed). The younger Trainers, despite sleeping alongside each other, were stubbornly facing the opposite direction of the other. They still hadn't made up, despite the time that had passed.

Cilan was in his sleeping bag, but he couldn't seem to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, some unknown force would force them back open again. With a soft growl of dismay, he turned onto his side and closed his eyes in another attempt to sleep, which (unfortunately) failed.

"_Psst!_"

Cilan's eyes snapped open at the whisper. He sat up and turned in the direction of the noise. He saw two pairs of eyes staring at him. One red, one blue. Both figures were clad in black cloaks that hid the majority of their faces, and white wigs were tucked neatly under the hood, but a strand or two of hair was still sticking out. Despite the concealed faces of the twosome, Cilan knew precisely who they were; it couldn't have been anyone else.

"_Guys?!_" the Connoisseur hissed incredulously, struggling to keep his voice low. His two brothers, Chili and Cress, nodded quickly. Cress gestured for Cilan to come closer. "It isn't safe for us to discuss our topic here, it's dangerous."

Cilan felt a throb of foreboding in his heart as he slid out of his sleeping bag, quickly donned his shoes, and followed his two brothers through the greenery and into a small clearing awash with a faint light. Cilan looked up at the moon. It was a mere crescent, a white claw in the blackened sky.  
Cilan turned to his two brothers, he green eyes glistening with confusion. "What's with the secrets? I don't like the aroma I'm getting…"

Cilan shifted rather uneasily from foot to foot as silence met his question. Finally, after what felt like hours, Chili broke the silence.

"The Shadow Triad has been called for again, Cilan. Lord N and Master Ghetsis need us."

Cilan let out a small gasp in shock. Cress raised an eyebrow at his brother. "You do remember our promise, Cilan, correct?"

Cilan nodded slowly. "Y-yes, but-", he began, but Chili interrupted him.

"Hey, I know how much you hate this sometimes, but Ci'…we don't have a choice. We made a promise, think about it. If we went against what we said…"

Defeat overwhelmed Cilan as he replied dolefully, "I know, Chili…I know…"

ooooo

_She was dreaming. She was twisting and thrashing as the churning water swirled around her. Eyes shut tight to prevent the water form getting into her sight, she spluttered and coughed as the salty water went into her mouth, and she struggled to get even a single gulp of air. _

_She wasn't sure how she had gotten into this sea of turmoil, but now that she had entered the tossing liquor, it seemed impossible to escape. She desperately searched her memory for a trace of why she was here, what this place was, but found nothing. Even more horrifying, she couldn't remember anything; not her name, her home, her friends…she couldn't even remember what she looked like._

_The dismay at her discovery seemed to drown her worse then the water surrounding her, and she slowly opened her closed eyes, and made yet another startling finding; it wasn't water at all she was swimming in- it was blood, scarlet and brackish. She gasped in repulsion, accidentally swallowing the crimson liquor. Dread clouded her mind and she could barely see- only red was in her sight and the saline stench filled her senses. All of a sudden, she felt a hand strike out of nowhere and grab her, pulling her back on the land. She saw, through the cherry coloured haze, a pair of bright green eyes. At this point, in her exhaustion, she thought she was delusional, but the hand, the ground that was now beneath her, was so real…someone had saved her life. But who?_

_As she gazed deep into those green eyes, the rest of the face obscured by shadows, she saw her own reflection. She saw her face that she didn't remember. She remembered everything, and the name of her rescuer became caught in her throat.  
_  
_"…_Cilan?_"_

The young Connoisseuse Burgundy Lavender awoke with a start, the word she had spoken in her dream escaping her mouth in the waking world. She sat up from her bed, and looked rather fearfully around her.

The was still in the Pokemon Center, safe, and not even a speck of blood on sight.

Burgundy let out a low sigh of relief at this. So it was a dream, after all…  
Still, she pondered over the dream. Why was there blood everywhere? Why was there so much? And why, was the biggest of her questions, was Cilan there?

Burgundy was a Connoisseuse with a desire for revenge against Cilan. He had humiliated her beyond what a Gym Battle defeat could allow, and yet…in her dream, he was her savior? It made no sense.

She turned her head to look out the window of her room. The moon was shining brightly down, the silvery streaks of light casting misty grey shadows. It was like ribbons of grey silk were fluttering from outside. It was pretty to stare upon, and soon Burgundy was feeling sleepy again.

She groaned inwardly and lay back down and her last thought before she drifted into a dreamless sleep was: _I really don't understand…what does all this mean?_

_oooo_

**-Me; The start of something really wretched, that's what. **

**Bernkastel; Are you planning on enjoying this?**

**Me; Of course, duh. Notes!**

**I'm truthfully not too sure how I came up with Cilan's surname. I'm guessing because you can have a creek of water, fire, and an empty creekbed usually has grassland in it. Either that, or because it starts with "c", like the Striaton triplet's English names.**

**Iris's surname is simple compared to Cilan's; her name is the name of a flower and she's known as "The Girl Who Knows the Hearts of Dragons". I'm going to let you guys figure it out from there.**

**I _really_ wish I could've created a surname for Ash, but then I would get sued or something for pretending it doesn't exist. So thus it's just Ketchum.**

**Burgundy's surname is also pretty simple. Her hair and eyes are purple, and burgundy is a kind of wine. When something is "wine-coloured", it's purple. Lavender is another name for purple. There you go.**

**This chapter was not a filler, mind you. It introduces you personally to our main protagonists, and hints what a problem and possible antagonist in the story is as well. The blood dream was supposed to hint that the story isn't going to be a very happy one. So…you've been warned.**

**So long, and see you next time!**

**Axew; And don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter Two, everyone. Please enjoy…and the main antagonist is revealed!**

**oooooo**

Chapter Two  
A Huntress' Revival  
_It's the time for a wrongdoer's revival  
Dead no longer, she hunts and plots  
Soon there might be a fight for survival…_

A woman strode confidently through the shadowy forest. As she continued through the woodlands, her dark cloak trailed behind her. A pair of electronic black glasses covered her eyes. A scar ran over her right cheek. She shook her head angrily, her gray hair quivering as she did so.

She was Pokemon Hunter J!

Oh, yes, they thought that she was dead. For they, as in everyone in her home region, saw her ship crash down into a giant lake, a whirlpool swallowing her and her crew. The ship had been struck by a Pokémon's Future Sight attack, and technique which an attack was shot into the clouds and shot back at the enemy at a later time. J should've seen it coming. But in the end, it led to her supposed crew's mind own demise. But she had escaped, receiving nothing more than a mark on her face and the thought of vengeance engrave deeper than the scar.

So J had lost her ship.

But she was alive!

A Pokemon Hunter, that was her. The best there was. A Pokemon Hunter captured Pokemon and sold them on the black market. Back where she used to work, Sinnoh, she was the unsurpassed master of them all. Even here, in the isolated Unova region, she continued her job in secret. Multiple clients swore to keep her survival a secret, except form fellow criminal, who would also swear to keep their mouth. So many Pokémon were caught, and much money was paid. J was steadily regaining her former class of Hunter, the kind with many happy clients and a large amount of riches.

So J was in action!

Back in Sinnoh, almost nothing got in her way. Almost none of her missions failed. J took down every enemy that tried to stop her. It was mostly the authorities, and they had all declared her dead. She was almost unstoppable.

Almost.

In Sinnoh, there had been only one person who dared to get in her way. A young boy, a mere child! The very thought of him, the very thought a _child_ would dare hinder her, infuriated her. Usually, when people saw her coming, knew she was around and searching, if they had sense, they would flee at the sight of her, or just stay away. Others, foolish enough to stop her, were quickly dealt with and never seen again, because they were too afraid of her. Yet others were killed for their heroic and sad attempts to hold up her profession.

But that _boy_…!

J growled crossly and clenched her fist. First, he had approached her, tried to stop her, and succeeded. He didn't even seem afraid of her, stopping her not once, but multiple times! Every time he interfered, J failed. With every fail she got less clients, much to her displeasure. She had to work twice as hard to keep her clients at their average number, and it became somewhat impossible to increase that number. All because of a adolescent boy.

So J had retribution to settle!

She withdrew a Poke-Ball from her belt. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She wanted desperately to get back at him, and she would…

She sent out her partner Pokemon. He was a blue bipedal dragon with a beige underbelly and scarlet wings. Under his tail, above his black triangular eyes, his throat, and underneath his legs were coloured the same shade. His wings were red, and he had a pair of sizable fangs in his mouth. The Dragon Pokémon had served her for a long time, never veering from her side.

J nodded at the dragon as she spoke his name. "Salamance."

The dragon roared in response and allowed his Master to spring gracefully onto his back. With a cry and a shake of his snaking tail, he launched into the cloudy sky. The dark haze hid Salamance from sight. J smiled deviously as they went into the skies. She was scheduled to meet a client that day, and she was looking forward to her next mission. Every time she captured a new Pokemon, helped a new client, and got some currency off it, she felt a deep trill of satisfaction within her. It was her nature, a feeling that surprised her, in fact, during her younger just starting out days. Now she was efficiently cold and pitiless, and had no guilt, no love, and no soft feelings. Just satisfaction…and rage. That was all that was left in her heart, blackened by crime.

She had worked so long in the art of crime that her old life of smiling faces, honesty and purity, seemed to fade far to back of her mind, to be eaten by the shadows that replace their respectful places. All of that was unneeded, and she would require for its disappearance if she wanted her ability as a Hunter to continue throughout her life.

She also needed it if settling of scores was to performed. J wanted to, and she would get it done. Before her life was over, the Huntress swore to get her hands on the aggravating boy who had ruined everything.

Before he died, she would hear his screams of mercy, his screams of _asking_ to _please_ just _kill him already,_ he'd had enough.

But J knew it would take considerable effort to make that nightmare a reality. He was headstrong and prideful. He would never let those feelings out unless she really showed him the meaning of pain.

With her revival, she had surprise on her side. J had many methods of torture, and she was sure there wasn't one she hadn't used yet. Every single one had worked, and the individuals who had the affliction thrown upon them were either dead, in the hospital, or walking the earth in such a miserable way that someone was going to put him out of his misery someday.

As Salamance soared higher, J began laughing, softly. _Everything will go just as they should…my reputation will grow in the black markets, my vengeance will be dealt, and will every one, I will laugh. Every. Single. Time._

**oooooooo**

**Me; Now things are going to really heat up!**

**Axew; I'm scared…**

**Me; Author's Notes!**

**Remember how J's ship was struck with Future Sight and it went crashing down into the whirlpool? Only her glasses, cracked, were shown, so thus it can hint that she survived, seeing that we didn't actually see J after the ship hit the water. So there's a chance she survived.**

**I wrote this chapter similarly to Chapter Two of Brian Jacques's _Redwall_. Both Cluny and J are fearsome adversaries, but J is the better of the two because she's smarter and has the desire for revenge on her side. Just wait until the next few chapters to find out what I mean!**

**Pansage; That's all for now, so please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three is here, with a crappy title too. Anyways, a problem is going to be introduced, and our "anti-hero" revealed. And there's some cute NegaiShipping. Enjoy!**

**oooooooooooo**

Chapter Three  
A Small Twinge

_A nightmare in the head, a twinge in the eye  
Signals, omens, of what's yet to come?  
A villainess gathers a pack for her sinful, evil plot…why?_

Ash's eyes snapped open. He sat up and looked around their site. Nothing stirred. Ash blinked as he struggled to recall his dream. He knew it was of some importance, (after all, it woke him up) but he couldn't seem to remember exactly what woke him. Little flashes of remembrance flickered in his mind, like little fireworks; there one second with loud declaration, the next vanished into smoke. Shadows around him…snaking around…blood in his eyes…_Wait a second, blood, like, blood?! Then, there was a stab in my chest…!_

Ash narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. There was a soft noise beside him. He looked in its direction and realized Iris had simply shifted her position in her sleep. Cilan was gone. Ash was in the middle of the two sleeping bags, and allowed his fingers to brush against Cilan's. It was cold.

_Strange…did he perhaps just…go on a walk or something?_The Kanto Trainer wondered. He turned his thoughts to Iris. A small distressing notion was gnawing at the back of his mind.

The argument. Of course. What else?

Ash shook his head, not unlike a dog, in an attempt to clear his head. Iris had looked…so upset…he knew he should apologize. It was the only logical thing to do after all. Besides, it was rather a pointless thing to carry on with. He moved slowly out of his sleeping bag, careful not to awake his partner Pokemon. He was a yellow mouse-like creature with brown stripes across his furry back. Red pouches covered his cheeks and a brown based lightning-bolt shaped tail sprouted from his behind. His eyes, normally bright and dark, were closed in slumber. Ash smiled at the mouse. The faithful Pikachu had been by his side since he had started out as a Trainer. At first, the two were like water and oil, but now they were almost inseparable.

Ash sighed quietly as he departed the sleeping bag, Pikachu undisturbed. He fought down his nervousness and hissed softly, "Iris…are you awake?"

"Yeah…," was the reply. Her voice was restrained, as if she wasn't willing to speak to him at all. Stifling a growl, he took a deep breath before starting to speak.

"Iris, you know about…about what happened today?" he managed to say after a while.

He heard Iris snort angrily. "Yes…what about it?" she growled, her tone tight with fury.

Ash swallowed hard and replied in a low voice, "I-I…just wanted…to say sorry, I'm sorry about what I said."

Ash felt the heaviness of his distress evaporate as Iris sat up, a small smile on her face. "I accept your apology, Ash. I'm sorry too; it was really…stupid of me to react…"

"Same here."

The two stared at each other for a long while in silence. A voice from behind made them jump.

"I'm glad you to made up, then." came a rather familiar voice. Ash whirled around, tense, but relaxed at the face. "Cilan…"

Iris meanwhile, felt her cheeks feel rather warm at…the way he was just _smiling_at them. Angrily, the Dragon Trainer said, "Were you listening the whole time?!"

Ash realized the possibility and he began to blush as well. Cilan smiled at the pair. "A small amount." He answered, his voice composed.

Was she imagining it, or was there…_amusement_in the Connoisseur's eyes?

"Are you laughing at us?" she asked with a threatening in her tone. Cilan chuckled nervously but didn't reply. Ash and Iris glared at each other for a while, daring the other to make him respond, but in the end, all three were silent in admitting anything.

ooooooo

The next morning the trio set off again, towards Iccirus City, where Ash's next Gym battle awaited him. Iris wasn't too happy coming, though. The Gym Leader's specialty was Ice-Types, an element she wasn't very fond of. She wanted to be Dragon Master, after all. Some people found her fear irrational, silly even. Wasn't it only natural to fear what Dragon-Types feared the most?

With a soft snort of annoyance, she turned towards the Dragon-Type on her shoulder. He had light gray scales all over his body, darker rimmed around his eyes, which were a crimson shade, and over his large dorsal fin that sat upon his head. A small green collar was wrapped around his small neck, and he had thin tusks peeping out of his mouth. He has a short, stubby tail and claws. Usually the Dragon-Type hid in her long hair, which went down to almost her feet, but today little Axew wanted to smell the fresh air. He looked up at the sky. Iris looked up as well. _Hmm…it'll rain soon…_she thought. She relayed her thoughts to her two companions. Cilan looked up thoughtfully at the dark clouds. "I hope not too soon. I don't think there's any nearby shelter."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Then we should probably hurry to the next Pokemon Center- how far is the nearest one, Cilan?"

The young Gym Leader pulled out his electronic Town Map and looked through their route. His green eyes narrowed. "Not for quite a lot of distance…"

Ash groaned softly. "Let's hope the weather gives us a break…" he commented.

Pikachu, who had been on his shoulder, concurred with a soft, "Pika!"

ooooooooo

Elsewhere, our favorite Huntress was flying in the air on her Salamance. She clicked her tongue softly, signaling the Dragon Pokemon to land. He followed suit, alighted onto the sandy ground below the clouds. J hopped rather smartly off and landed quietly, and looked around. There were several caves, the scent of rotting flesh and dung wreathing around the area. Salamance snorted and shifted nervously. J growled at him. "Don't make a foolish move."

The Dragon/Flying Type let out a rather cowardly cry, but remained where he was. He narrowed his black eyes. He never liked the way his Master treated Pokemon but _this…_

Salamance surveyed the putrid caves and flared his nostrils. _This was too just too far. _

J ignored the anxiety of her Pokemon and withdrew something from her cloak. It was a small staff, black in color, a small gloomy gem on the pinnacle. It glimmered in the faint light. Salamance looked at the staff and let out a soft whine and backed up slightly, his tail quivering with fear. Fear. That was only why the fearsome looking Pokemon stayed by J's side. While he behaved terrifying, he was, in reality, quite timid. Drapion loved his job, hurting others, so he wasn't fazed. Ariados enjoyed her duty of keeping a pest tied up. It was the nature of spiders, after all…

But Salamance hated it. He tried convincing Drapion and Ariados to help each other escape, but they prized their work too much.

So Salamance was scared, scared for his life. The staff sent a ripple of terror, and it…had a power over Pokemon…not all but-

The Dragon Pokemon's thoughts were interrupted when J lifted the staff and the jewel began to glow a faint violet. He cringed at the glow. _Oh no…_  
In the blackness of the caves, several pairs of scarlet eyes glittered like rubies. Then there was a growling. At first, it was slightly muffled, but it quickly grew louder and louder. J merely smirked and beckoned with the staff. There was another growl and at least six dark and large figures slunk out of the shadows and stood in front of the Huntress.

They were four-legged dog-like creatures with black-blue fur with silvery-white. Their red eyes, yellow encircled with a black triangle underneath each one, sent a shiver down Salamance's spine. They had thick fur, and stout tails. Hoary claws poked out of their paws, and they had huge fangs that hung out of their mouths.

Salamance crouched in an attacking position, ready to fight the Mightyena pack, but J glared at him. Even though the glasses covered her eyes, Salamance shrank, still tense. The Mightyena themselves were formidable, and not a force to be reckoned with. But these weren't any normal Mightyena…

They were Shadow Mightyena.

Shadow Pokemon. Salamance shivered at the thought. Shadow Pokemon were Pokemon, yes, but there were several differences.

First, Shadow Pokemon didn't learn normal attacks. They learned Shadow moves (Shadow Hold, Shadow Blast, etc.) instead. These were super effective against any Pokemon regardless of type, making them powerful.

Second, they weren't natural- they were created by human science experiments. It was an art perfected by many a baddie in this world.

Third, they had a shadowy aura around them, that couldn't be seen by the naked average human eye. (The only hint a normal human could see was a black circle around their eyes.)You either needed to be a Pokemon to see it, use special technology, or be able to see Aura is general. All Shadow Pokemon had the peculiar aura, but if they were completely, irreversibly Shadow-fied, they became rather discolored. Dark. Black.  
Fourth? The Pokemon had no true emotions. No love for their Trainer, no happiness, or joy. Not even sadness. There was only rage to battle. Rage to fight. Rage to kill.

At the thought, Salamance reared up as the Bite Pokemon approached. J roared at him, "Stay still, you filthy beast!"

The Dragon Pokemon shook with fear and hatred for his Master. J disregarded her pusillanimous Pokemon and turned back to the Mightyena. They were twitching and jumping back, but approaching, making little rumbling noises. They were hungry. They wanted to fight. To eat flesh. To hear terror. To see death. To lick up blood.

J smiled and lifted her staff, conveying her objective into it, and sending it to the Mightyena.

They howled with joy as the brain waves overwhelmed them. The violence. The kill…

J smiled and began cackling at the pack's fracas reaction. Salamance swallowed uneasily. This wasn't going to go very well…_not well at all…_

oooooo

Ash gasped softly and gripped his left eye. The sudden stab of pain that had passed through it vanished almost as suddenly as it had come. Iris looked at her friend with concern. "Ash, is something wrong?"

The dark-haired Trainer shook his head, "No…I think something flew at my eye or something…," he turned away from her intense gaze, "Probably just some dust or bug…"

But even as he said this, Ash felt a twang of doubt. _Did it signify something? Something to come?_

Ash shook his head as if to clear it. _You're over thinking this, Ash!_ He admonished himself; _A little pain doesn't mean something bad is going to happen!_

_But still…_

_What if…it does?_

ooooooo

**Me; Nyeow, here comes the action.**

**Axew; Oooh…**

**Me; Notes!**

**What exactly happened between Ash and Iris is going to remain unknown until later, so don't get worked up just yet. **

**Salamance was a fun character to create a personality. It's J's main 'mon, and I wasn't too sure whether or not he would know how evil his Master was, and if he cared. So I gave him a timid nature that's constantly hidden under a frightening mask of a beast. He has feelings too, and conscience, though. How will this affect his relationship with J in this story?**

**I used the notion of Shadow Pokémon, and then I took the liberty of a writer to add my own touches. They're going to have a few appearances in this fic, so don't forget them just yet.**

**Hur-hur, an omen at the end of the chapter. What do YOU think will happen now?**

**That's all for now, so please review!**

**Salamance; Please review for her, she'll be sad if you don't…**


	5. Chapter 4

**Aah, not a lot gets done in this chapter, it's a chapter that I used to fill up with things I didn't want to stuff in the next one. It also has yet another really crappy title… Sorry guys, but please try and enjoy anyways. **

**ooooooooooo**

Chapter Four  
Could it Be…?

_The evil one is revealed, her pack of rage loose!  
Nothing stops them, as they charge forth, teeth bared  
Is it possible we could lose?_

A boom of thunder resounded through the dark and cloudy sky. Ash looked up, appearing worried. "I hope we find shelter before it rains…"

Pikachu nodded seriously, "Pika…," he agreed. He twitched his yellow bolt tail. A Pikachu's tail was known for getting hit with lightning bolts during powerful storms. If the thunderstorm became too bad, he might accidentally put the others in danger.

Iris snorted, "I hope so too, but the chance we will is rather small!" she pointed out. Axew shivered and shrank into his Trainer's thick hair with a squeak of, "Ax!"

Cilan laughed rather mirthlessly, "You're quite the optimist, aren't you?"

"You're both such kids!" Iris shouted back with annoyance at the Connoisseur's sarcastic statement.

Ash shrugged nonchalantly at the insult he had gotten so used to hearing. "Whatever you say!" he called at her, making the Dragon Trainer blush slightly and attempt to shoot a threatening glower at him, which Ash fortunately failed to notice.

Cilan rolled his eyes at the pair's antics. _Iris has regained her confidence since the argument yesterday. It seems that Ash apologizing did the trick to get her usual recipe back in shape!_

The Connoisseur set a finger on his forehead, and listened for a bit as the younger Trainer's continue their harmless bickering. _Everything's getting back in order._

ooooooo

Burgundy sat in the Pokemon Center and stared at the gloomy sky through a nearby window. She felt relieved she was in secure shelter, safe from the rain that was almost minutes from falling. A bolt of lightning streaked across the gloomy sky, the bright cerulean against the murky black clouds. Her pale purple eyes reflected the serrated line that slashed through the obscurity. She wondered who was even out in the storm. _Whoever they are_, she thought, _they're probably rather dense…_

_Like Cilan, perhaps?_

The Connoisseuse couldn't help but gasp aloud at the sudden thought, and sunk her nails into the leather seat she was resting on. She had no idea where it had come from, and was it even from her?

_Ugh, why do I care what happens to that smug loser? __He's _juste un absolu…_ugh! _Pourquoi s'embeter?! _Why bother thinking over this so hard!? _

Burgundy shook her head angrily and stood up before falling back down. Running form her own thoughts was foolish, especially with the rain threatening to fall outside. It was just too imprudent for someone like herself. Burgundy sighed and shut her eyes tightly.

What was with this sudden emotional turmoil? It was there one second, gone the next. Why did thinking about Cilan make her feel this way?

This always happened. Every time he came to mind, she would shove the thought away angrily and feel a sudden whirlwind of anger and several other feelings that she had no name for. It was confusing.

Simply, utterly, confusing.

ooooooooo

A slight growling noise made Cilan start, and his senses were thrust from Ash and Iris's amusing squabbling and to the sudden noise. Ash turned toward the Connoisseur, away from a rather perplexed Iris, confusion in both their auburn gazes. "Cilan, is something wrong?"

The growling grew slightly louder as the words left Ash's mouth. He twisted his head in the direction of the sound. "Huh…?"

Iris turned toward the sky. She had heard the sound, too. "It's definitely not the thunder…" she calculated, more to herself if anything.

"Quite right," Cilan agreed, "the noise isn't coming from the sky, but from…"  
He pointed in the direction of the noise, somewhere to the north-east of their location. "…Over there!"

Axew let out a soft cry from inside Iris's hair and peeped out, only to slip back inside the violet locks when the growling was suddenly followed by malicious cackling. Pikachu's ears pricked up at the laughter. "_Pika!_"

Ash narrowed his eyes. Like his Mouse Pokemon, he recognized the voice as well, but... _That laughter sounds familiar, but I can't seem to fix a name and face to it, darn it!_he thought angrily, and curled a hand into a fist in frustration. His

Iris turned to her two male companions. "Let's check it out!" she proposed to the pair. Cilan and Ash nodded and headed to the direction of the resonance, Iris in the lead.

Pikachu's yellow ears flicked as the laughter echoed through the trees again, and this time he knew the owner of it. His ears never lied to him. But how could this be? Surely this person was dead?

The little Electric Type's cheeks sparked as he shifted his position in Ash's shoulder. If his realization was correct…then they were in big trouble. Very big trouble.

oooooo

After some time, the trio reached a sandy hollow, where Iris claimed the noises had come from. Cilan and Ash decided to trust her judgments and not ask how exactly she knew in the first place.

A voice made them all start and hide behind some nearby bushes. A certain grey-haired woman was standing before a particular Pokemon. She was riding on a specific and rather nervous looking Dragon-Type.

[Ah, viewpoint switching humor.]

Iris eyes widened in awe at the Dragon Pokemon. "Wow…isn't that a Salamance?" she breathed, her ginger gaze sparkling with admiration. Of course Iris would get thrilled over a Dragon-Type when there were other matters to worry about.

Cilan snorted at the young girl's wonder. "I'm more curious about whom that woman is, and why she is talking to a pack of…," he stopped, uncertain. "Are those Shadow Pokemon?"

Iris temporarily was broken from her mesmerized state at the term. "Shadow Pokemon?" she asked, looking bewildered. Cilan nodded, "Yes…it's kind of hard to explain, but…I remember reading about them."

Iris slanted her eyes, "What exactly are those Pokémon, anyway? I don't remember ever seeing one of those…"

Cilan shook his head in puzzlement, "I haven't seen one either…Ash, what—" he began, but cut himself off when he saw the look on Ash's face.

Ash's pupils had shrunk in fear, and he was staring at the woman in what seemed like utter horror. The younger Trainer looked like he had seen a ghost. Maybe in his mind, he did.

Cilan blinked. "Ash, is something wrong?" he inquired. A sudden idea struck him. "Ash, do you know her?"

Ash swallowed hard before answering, "Yeah…no wonder I recognized her voice…Pikachu, too…"

Axew made a whimpering noise from Iris's hair. Rather bemused, Cilan hissed, "What is her name, Ash? What are those Pokemon with her?" Cilan's voice sounded strangled, as he was finding it difficult to keep his voice down.

Ash turned toward the green eyed teen. "Her…name is Pokemon Hunter J," he began, struggling to shake off his shock at the said woman's revival, "…she captures Pokemon and sells them…the Pokemon with her are called Mightyena. A whole pack, too…"

The Kanto Trainer looked rather questionably at Cilan. "A whole pack of Shadow Pokemon…Shadow Mightyena…for some reason, I don't like the sound of that…"

Unbeknownst to the three, J was listening rather intently to their conversation. A cruel smile formed on her face as she called out, "Come out, you three, I know you're there."

All three jerked in surprise. All were frozen, not sure whether to run or fight or scream. Then Cilan swallowed and turned to the two younger Trainers. "I guess there's no point in hiding now…It's revealing time..."

Rather nobly, the Connoisseur stepped out of their hiding place, closely followed by Iris and Ash. Salamance recognized the boy immediately and whimpered. _Foolish boy, you're going to be a goner…!_

J recognized him as well and seemed amused. "Well, well, long time no see." She murmured, half to herself.

Ash had heard this, unfortunately, and he gulped. _Uh oh…_, he thought rather uneasily, _this isn't going to end very well…_

Salamance flicked his tail rather wretchedly. The poor boy would meet his end, that was certain…_or worse! _

Pikachu hopped off his Trainer's shoulder and stood in front of him, cheeks sparking with yellow electricity. "Pikachu Pika!"

Axew jumped out of Iris's hair and growled a warning. Even little Axew could sense trouble, and he wasn't afraid to fight to protect his Trainer.

J seemed amused by the Pokemon's threats. Salamance issued a warning himself by swishing his tail and snarling, praying that the children would flee. The grey haired huntress' gaze flicked to Pikachu, then Axew, then Salamance. She smiled maliciously. "Is that a challenge I hear?" she asked, rather rhetorically, and raised her hand up at the sky.

Ash tensed, Iris shivered, and Cilan gulped.

J's hand went down, a deep roar of thunder rang through the air, and the Mightyena pack attacked.

ooooooooooo

**Me; And that's that.**

**Salamance; Uh oh.**

**Me; Nothing to really say about this chapter except for I hope you're all ready for the next one. Its going to full of action.**

**But AHFEQNI'M SO BEHIND ON UPDATING WHAT'S ON SEREBII URQWC IWN. But FF.N will catch up…eventually…**

**Pikachu; Please review anyways! It makes us happy! **


	6. Chapter 5

**Aaaa, here's where the story really begins; plenty of action and some bloody scenes :u. Please enjoy to your hearts' content, everyone ^^'**

**oooooooo**

Chapter Five  
Red and Black

_Large fangs, a violent brain  
The dark pack surges forward,  
We might escape, but not without a maim…_

The group scattered as the Mightyena pounced at them, landing at the same place where the group stood only seconds before. Cilan quickly withdrew a Poke-Ball from his belt, "Pansage, come out and use Bullet Seed!"

A green monkey creature popped out the Poke-Ball. He had a tan muzzle, arms, and chest. He had a large bush-like fur tuft on top of his head and a slim tail with thin leaves at the tip. With a loud cry the Grass Monkey Pokemon spat a barrage of green glowing seeds at one of the Mightyena. The Dark-Type didn't even dodge. He simply stood there, and when Pansage was finished, he merely shook his shaggy head and twisted his face into what resembled a smile.

Both Cilan and Pansage gasped in shock. The Pokemon didn't even seem fazed!

"_W-what?!_"

"_Pansage?!_"

Ignoring their shock, another one of the Mightyena emitted a shadowy thick spurt from his maw, aimed directly at Axew. The little Dragon-Type didn't even stand a chance. He was flung to the ground, knocked out immediately.

"Axew, no!" Iris cried, and scooped up Axew in her arms, "Axew, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. The Tusk Pokemon opened up his crimson eyes, looking drained. "Ax…ew…"

Iris sighed in relief and turned toward the Mightyena. Drool was dribbling from the Bite Pokemon's large canines, outlined in depth as a flash of lightning flickered through the dark clouds. _Gross…_

"What was that attack, anyway?" Iris asked as she turned to Ash's direction, baffled. Ash could only shake his head, just as confused as his companion, maybe more.

"I-I have no idea…" Cilan muttered, "I've read that Shadow Pokemon learn different moves than normal, but…" he trailed off and shuddered.

J burst out cackling at the trio's bewilderment. Salamance gazed at her, rather alarmed by his Master's amusement. _They…They're going to get killed, and she's_ laughing _at them?_

Ash growled in frustration and quickly grabbed two Poke-Balls from his belt. "Snivy, Oshawott, I choose you!"

Two Pokemon quickly emerged from the beam of red light. The first was a green-snake-like creature with large ginger eyes outlines with yellow scales. Her underbelly and bottom half of her snout were colored beige. And she had a collar that was yellow, as well as a stripe down her back, yellow as well. The end of her tail was shaped like a huge leaf. She was small legs and arms, but there was no doubt by the look in her eyes that she could move fast. The second Pokemon was an otter-like animal with white and cerulean fur on his body. His ears, feet, and tail were dyed dark blue, and a tan shell sat on his stomach. He had a large brown nose and great dark eyes that glittered with battle fervor.

"Snivy, use Leaf Storm, Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

Snivy quickly collected a barrage of glowing leaves around her before launching them at the Mightyena pack. Oshawott leapt into the air and spewed a powerful gush of water from his mouth. The Dark-Types gathered up what looked like a dark charge in their coats before discharging bolts of black voltage at the attacks, canceling them out, and smoke launch in all directions, thick and black.

Another dark bolt shot out of the smoke, and nearly struck Snivy. She leapt into the air, dodging the attack in the nick of time. Oshawott quickly spat out another Water Gun, which Snivy used as momentum to launch into the air. She then streaked downwards, her tail now shining bright green, sharp as a knife. A Leaf Blade attack. The Grass-Type slammed her tail against the side of a Mightyena. He reeled back, stunned momentarily. Cilan quickly seized the moment.

"Pansage, quick! Rock Tomb!" Cilan yelled as the Mightyena struggled to recover from the unexpected and powerful attack.

The Grass-Type let out a cry and shot a chunk of rock at the Mightyena. The Bite Pokemon howled in pain as it scraped his side, drawing blood.

The Mightyena beside him snarled angrily. The struck Mightyena was in fact her brother, and she wanted the Pansage and his Trainer to pay for hurting him.

The huge Dark-Type lunged at the Connoisseur, catching him by surprise. He made a solid thud as the Mightyena trapped him against the ground, making dust puff up through the air. The Mightyena struck to fast for Cilan to react. She made for his shoulder and dug her fangs deep within it.

There were cries of dismay from the others, but the Dark-Type paid them no heed.  
The young Gym Leader cried out and squirmed under the giant Pokemon's weight. She was the largest Mightyena, after all. Blood oozed out of the gash, staining the ground red. Pansage quickly sprang and spat a Bullet Seed at the Bite Pokemon. She snarled at Pansage. Ash narrowed his eyes, "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

The little Mouse Pokémon's tail glowed a metallic shade and he slammed it across the Mightyena's face, sending her tumbling to the ground, allowing Cilan to dash away, released from her grasp.

Ash turned to Cilan, seeming worried. Blood was still seeping steadily, moistening the dry earth. "You okay?"

Cilan nodded slowly, flinching as he did so. "Yeah…I'll be okay for now…"

Any further conversation was interrupted as the Mightyena circled the three friends, growling fiercely, blood-lust in their red-yellow eyes. Another great boom of thunder made the air almost vibrate around them. Iris, still clutching the weak Axew, quickly grabbed two Poke-Balls from her sleeve, and hurled them into the air. "Excadrill, Emolga! Come on out!"

Two Pokemon leapt into battle as they were released from their containment. The first was a large mole-like creature with brown fur all over his body, with red patches. He had stout legs and arms, and his face was white with red stripes on his cheeks. Large grey claws were attached to his paws and brow, and he had small eyes. The second was squirrel-like with white fur on her front, black fur on her back. She had large circular black ears with a yellow and white interior. She had a membrane connecting her small arms and legs, colored yellow. She had a long and bushy black tail and yellow pouches on her cheeks. Her eyes were large and black.

At the sight of Emolga, Oshawott gained a rather infatuated look on his face and gazed admiringly at her. Both Iris and Ash rolled their eyes and commanded their Pokemon.

"Snivy, Leaf Storm! Oshawott, snap out of it and use Water Gun again! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Emolga, use Hidden Power, and Excadril, use Focus Blast!"

The five Pokemon quickly released their attacks: Snivy a torrent of bright green blazing leaves, Oshawott another forceful stream of water, Pikachu an electrical discharge, Emolga a glowing green sphere, and Excadrill a blue shining orb. Even Axew stood up and spat out a Dragon Rage attack. Cilan's Pansage spat a Bullet Seed attack.

The combined attacks were countered with the Mightyena's united blast of shadowy jet. The attacks collided with each other, exploding and sending black smoke in all directions.

Then a Mightyena flew out of the smoke, an eerie wail resounding out of his throat. He was tired of this meaningless skirmishing. He wanted to kill and draw blood. _Now._

He soared through the air and slammed into Iris, knocking all the breath out of her.

"_Iris!_"

The Bite Pokemon pinned her to the ground, saliva dripping from his fangs. He was hungry for flesh, thirsty for blood. As the Dragon Trainer struggled, he raised his shaggy head, ready to sink his fangs into the soft tissue of her neck.

Or, at least he would've, if Ash hadn't reacted first. He was never the brightest thinker; he rammed into the Mightyena's side, sending it sprawling. Iris gazed at her companion with appreciation. "Thanks…"

Ash felt his cheeks flush, illuminated by a flash of lightning. "You're welcome…" he mumbled in reply.

A slam on his side stopped any further exchange. The Mightyena wasn't mad anymore- he was _furious_. He howled and knocked Ash to the ground, stunning him temporarily. He aimed to strike at the Kanto trainer's neck, but banged his snout on the sandy ground instead as Ash quickly rolled over. Iris and Cilan gasped at the scene. Ash was getting into a tight spot. With a growl of aggravation, the Bite Pokemon spat what looked like another shadowy spurt. Ash was flung against one of the caves.

Pikachu leapt into the air to defend hid Trainer, but a different Mightyena grabbed the little yellow Mouse Pokemon and hurled it to the ground. A bellow of thunder muffled Pikachu's whimpers of pain.

Another Mightyena hurled another black gush at Emolga. Quickly, Oshawott jumped in front to the Sky Squirrel and blocked the attack with his scalchop. The attack was quickly averted and it blew up the wall, rather than Emolga. The Electric-Flying type patted the Sea Otter Pokemon on the head with her tail in thanks. "_Emo, Emo_!"

Oshawott blushed, his white cheeks gaining a crimson tinge. "_Oshaa…_" he uttered, looking rather lovesick once more.

Doing his best to ignore his Water-Type, Ash stood rather shakily. The throw had to have hurt, after all. The Mightyena who had tossed him growled and shot a dark-coloured beam at the black-haired Trainer. Ash leapt into the air and dodged it. Unfortunately, the force of the explosion knocked him to the ground. The Mightyena howled and launched at him, teeth bared, and a rather threatening rumble of thunder seemed to rile him up further.

Ash quickly managed to cry out, "Snivy use Vine Whip!"

The Grass Snake Pokémon immediately withdrew long green vines from her collar at Ash's shout. She sprang into the air and whipped ferociously at the Mightyena. He was knocked to his feet, his leap interrupted. Enraged, the Dark Type leapt and grabbed Snivy's vines and sunk his teeth into them. Snivy cried out in pain before an idea hit her. The small Grass-Type spun around, flipping the opposing Mightyena over. She slid her vines out of her foes now limp mouth and smiled in satisfaction at her defeated foe. "_Snivy!_"

Out of nowhere another Mightyena jumped from the shadows at Ash, mouth open wide to reveal huge fangs, far bigger the rest of the packs'. This one was the pack leader, and he was going in for the kill.

Iris let out a loud cry of alarm as the Bite Pokemon streaked toward him, "Ash, look out!"

Time seemed to slow down. Ash saw the creatures fangs flash to his left eye, illuminated by the blaze of lightning and—

The teeth dug deep. Black and red danced in his vision. He couldn't see! _I'm blind!_ His mind screamed, _I'm blind!_

The panic lasted for only a few heartbeats before he felt himself soar through the air, the fangs sink deeper, blood dribble and splatter, and he slammed into the cave wall.

He only managed a soft whimper before darkness seeped through his vision and he saw no more.

ooooooooo

Iris let out a shriek of horror and Cilan gasped as Ash slid to the ground, blood flowing out of his left eye, out cold. Pikachu got up and gasped at the sight of his wounded Trainer. He turned and glared at the opposing Mightyena, cheeks sparking. "Pika Pikapi!"

Before they could growl in response, he tackled them with a super-fast Quick Attack. The Mouse Pokémon was furious at them for hurting his Trainer, and he wanted to take them down.

J, all the while, seemed rather pleased with Ash's state. Revenge was complete.

Before anyone could say anything, Salamance spat a plumage of fire, a Flamethrower attack, at the ground. Dust and smoke flew through the air, blinding everybody. Thunder resounded through the air. When the debris cleared, J and Salamance were gone. The Mightyena howled and scampered away, into the shadows, to who-knows-where. Wherever they were going, it wasn't important.

What was important was the fact Ash's blood was on the ground, and more was on the way.

ooooooooooo

**Me: What is important is that I don't give anyone nightmares…**

**Bernkastel; Don't bother trying not to.**

**Me; Notes!**

**Does anyone see the Warriors reference in this chapter? If not, I'll tell you all in the next set of Author's Notes.**

**I'm not too well-educated in Shadow Pokémon, but anime=/=game, so these are Shadow Pokémon similar to the game version. I took an author's creative liberties to them to give them spice :u.**

**Rika; And our sorrowful tale begins…**

**Hanyuu; Hau-au-au…**

**Mightyena Pack Leader; GIVE REVIEEEEEEEEEWS…!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Here's the effect chapter…the cause one was the previous one, lol. Also, in reply to review…will Ash be okay, or not? Ha-ha…it'll all be revealed here…sort of.**

ooooooooooooooooooo

Chapter Six

Recovery

_Life is bleeding on the ground_

_Our hero may die,_

_Or will he recover safe and sound?_

Iris knelt down beside the unconscious Ash. Cilan stood beside her, and beside him, Pikachu, Axew, and Pansage. The others had been returned into their Poke-Balls for rest.

Iris felt a small cramping of despair inside her as she examined Ash's injury. _This is…pretty bad…_ she thought fearfully. The Mightyena's teeth had done their job that was for sure. The fangs and sunk in a little above Ash's eyebrow and had slashed crossways (our left, his right) downward, ripping at the soft tissue of his eye. The red flesh seemed to pulse in the dim light, and blood was trickling steadily onto the dry and sandy ground.

It would've remained dry if the clouds hadn't chosen that moment to release their frosty precipitation.

The icy silver droplets seemed to be on fire as another lightning strike lit up the sky, a bright gash on the dark sky. The drops flashed brightly, before seemingly exploding on contact with the ground.

Iris and Cilan shivered as the chilly water showered over them. Pikachu tipped his large tail over himself, Axew and Pansage in a vain attempt to keep them all dry.

"We'd better find shelter, quick, before something else happens…" Cilan said rather anxiously, "We're going to get soaked…"

ooooooooo

Thank the gods there were so many caves.

Cilan and Iris had managed to bring Ash into one of the caves with them, Pikachu, Axew, and Pansage right behind them. All six were soaked already from the driving rain, so the cave, dark and shabby as it was, was a welcome relief.

Iris rested her had on Ash's shoulder; worry clear on her face as she once again studied the wound. "It's pretty bad…" she murmured. Pikachu's ears drooped, "Pikapi…"

Cilan nodded, only to wince at the pain in his injured shoulder. Pansage looked worriedly at his Trainer. Iris eyed Cilan abrasion with uneasiness. "Cilan, are you okay?"

The young Gym Leader winced again as he nodded, "Y-yes…" he replied rather testily. Iris didn't seem to notice, however, and promptly reprimanded him instead. "Cilan, you're _not_ okay. Let me see your shoulder."

Knowing it was useless to argue, Cilan allowed Iris to peruse his shoulder. All three of the Pokémon in the cave did a face-palm. She withdrew a cloth from her bag and used it to drain the blood. Cilan flinched faintly.

Iris swallowed hard. She was thinking about Ash's condition. Question battered her already tired mind, _Why did J laugh when Ash's eye was torn? Did she hate Ash when they knew each other? When did Ash know her? Why did Ash think she was dead? Who else knew Ash? Are they in danger too?_

The last questions seemed to seed another question that irked her; _Did Ash know any girls?_

Iris growled under her breath. She wasn't to sure why she was being so possessive. Ash was her friend, so why would she care if he knew other girls? But all the same…why was there a voice in her head that kept saying _no _to being "simply" a friend?

With Cilan's shoulder patched up, the Dragon Trainer decided to share Cilan a little bit about what was on her mind. "Cilan…do you think Ash will—" she cut herself off, afraid to go on, afraid if she said it, it would come true. Pikachu wilted at the thought. Axew patted the older Pokémon on the head to comfort him.

Cilan turned his gaze to the still Ash. He would've thought that the Kanto Trainer was dead if he didn't see the faint rise and fall of his chest. He turned back to Iris. Her brown eyes were glittering with concern. _To think…Iris seems to fight with him so much and yet…_

"Ash will pull through. He has a powerful flavor and has a strong spirit," Cilan assured Iris, "He won't die."

Pansage nodded confidently, "Pansage Pan Pan!"

This comforted Iris and soothed her anxiety to some extent. _He's tough…_Iris thought rather hopefully, _He'll be okay…_

But a different point surfaced in her mind. "Cilan, I'm pretty sure I can save him, but…" Iris swallowed before continuing, "I don't think he'll thank me."

Everyone started at the remark. "W-why do you say that?" Cilan asked, rather confused. _Why would Ash not appreciate something like that?_

Axew turned his head to Iris, Ash, Cilan, and back again. The little Dragon-Type was getting more and more perplexed as the conversation continued. Pikachu and Pansage looked at each other and shrugged, just as baffled.

Iris turned back to Ash's motionless figure, the cave's shadows hiding her face from view. "I can try everything but it won't get his eye back. That Mightyena ripped it out completely—he'll never see with it again…"

Cilan gasped, "He'll be half-blind?"

Pikachu's ears went up in shock, "_Pikapi Pikachu Pika?!_"

Iris nodded, her signal almost hidden by the shadows. "Yeah…_but!_" she turned and faced Cilan, a new light of mingled determination and fear in her eyes; "He'll survive this and will know he was supposed to!"

ooooooooooo

Even in Ash's fevered dreams, Death was close by. **Literally**.

_Truthfully, Ash wasn't sure who he was running from. The threatening and gloomy figure behind him was certainly not human; no human could run so fast for so long._

_Ash, on the other hand, was exhausted. Not to mention, he had no idea where he was, either. Several times, he tried to recall something, but his fear, fatigue, and pain mad the reminiscences blurred together, and exact recollections were near impossible to bring about._

_The Kanto Trainer had been trying to clear his aching head—he appeared to had fallen head-over-heels to this murky region—and was suddenly startled by a chilling voice behind him, and when he whirled around, the young boy saw…that figure. _

_Ash gasped as a dark shadow pounced on him and pinned him to the dark and sandy ground, launching him out his thoughts. He struggled as the shadow attempted to constrict him, but he was losing energy rapidly. The shadow merely laughed at the Kanto Trainer's resistance, "You can't fight me! I am Death! Bow your head to me!"_

_Ash snarled at the remark "I will not bow!" he growled angrily, ears ringing with the words of both his captor and his own. He tried to fight back, but he was losing strength too quickly…he was fading fast. Death's cackle rang in his ears, "It's hopeless, you'll never escape alive!"_

_The shadow cackled loudly, and there was a rush of pain in Ash's chest, and he cried out. Death's constriction tightened, and as the Kanto Trainer gasped, he called out mockingly, "Just give in, there is no hope for ye!"_

_It indeed seemed this way. Ash was running out of air and defiance. Was there truly no hope?_

"He'll survive this and know he was supposed to!"

_The voice echoed over and over. Ash's mind cleared. The smashed memories joined together, and all at once, everything began to make sense… The voice…belonged to—_

_Ash kicked out at Death, sending the laughing Death sprawling. He jumped to his feet and ran…and ran…_

_ooooooooooo_

_It felt like Ash had run for ages before he stopped. Darkness, choking and black, surrounded him at every side. A small question pinged in him—_Am I alone?

_Ash cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Is anyone else here? Hey!"_

_At his cry a small laugh could be heard, "There's only yourself here," and a figure stepped out of the darkness._

_It took Ash's breath away. The figure looked exactly like him, but his eyes were redder and catlike, and he was covered in blood and scars. A slim, black, and scarred tail trailed behind him and a pair of triangle black ears poked out of the top of his head. The Kanto Trainer gulped. "Who are you?"_

"_I am you." _

_Ash blinked at the even reply. "How are you me?"_

_The cat-like Ash said nothing in reply, just smiled treacherously, and the young boy shuddered. Then Cat-Like spoke, "I am you because there are two consciousnesses inside you. I am the second one, the less seen one."_

"_Second…consciousness?"_

"_Must you spit everything I say back at me?"_

"…"

_Cat-Like twitched his tail, rather amused at the silence. "Why did you fight off Death?"_

_Ash cocked his head sideways at the question. "Why do you ask that? Do you think it would've been better if I died?"_

"_Yes."_

_The Kanto Trainer jerked in surprise at the question, "W-why would it have been better?!" he demanded, "If I died, wouldn't you die too?!"_

_Cat-Like grinned eerily, and he shuddered again. _

_Cat-Like's reddish eyes glittered with spite. "Why do you want to live? Are you even aware about what happened to you?!"_

_Ash shook his head slowly, "I don't—"_

_Cat-Like's hands suddenly morphed into black paws and he unsheathed his claws, slashing them across Ash's view. The air around him shattered, the ground went from underneath him, and he was falling…falling…falling…_

_oooooooooooo_

Ash twitched as he regained consciousness. The Kanto Trainer was aware of a dull throbbing in his left eye. Was that what awakened him?

Iris turned in Ash's direction, a small smile on her face. "I think he's waking up, guys!" she exclaimed, looking more at ease. Pikachu sighed in relief, "Pika!"

Ash opened his one eye rather blearily to see Iris's smiling face. The left side felt petrified, yet he could still feel its pain. "I-Iris…? What happened?"

Iris set her hand on Ash's shoulder to steady him as he sat up. He looked up and saw that Cilan was there, too. The Connoisseur smiled with relief.

Iris eyed Ash rather worriedly. "Ash, are you okay?" she asked rather nervously. The Dragon Trainer wasn't sure if she should tell Ash about his disfigurement.

Ash nodded slowly, "Err, yeah I think so. Are you guys okay?"

Iris and Cilan nodded. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's lap, overjoyed his Trainer was alive.

Ash smiled and stroked the little Electric Type's head. Pikachu smiled and looked up at him, black eyes sparkling.

Axew let out a rather celebrative "_Axew_!" and Pansage let out a cheerful "Pan!" They were also relieved Ash was okay.

Ash felt a small twinge of uneasiness. His left eye was still blind and frozen…why was that? He conveyed his question to the others.

Iris and Cilan looked rather nervously at each other. Iris swallowed, _Uh oh. I was afraid he'd ask that…_

"Well…you see…" Iris began, struggling to find the right words, terrified she would say the wrong thing, "…when the Mightyena bit you, it…um…"

Ash felt agitation well up inside him. _What is she so scared to say?_

The answer came to him the moment Iris said it, "You lost an eye, Ash. You lost your eye to the Mightyena."

The prickling agitation became icy fear, "Oh…" he murmured and clutched his left eye, or what was left of it, "_Oh…Oh God…_"

Ash felt his stomach churn, and he shut his single eye tightly. Iris gazed dejectedly at the Kanto Trainer, "Oh, Ash…"

oooooooooooooo

J was soaring through the stormy clouds on Salamance. Ignoring the icy rain on her face, she closed her eyes, bringing back the memories…of the brat's mutilation.

For some reason, it kept coming back to her. A rumble of thunder made Salamance quiver with fear, but J ignored it. Why was it repeating itself over and over in her head? Why did it bother her so?

J was a cruel woman, no doubt. She had personally killed, tortured, and maimed aplenty during her fraudulent career. She had only felt pride and satisfaction at her victories and at her prey's pain.

But why was she feeling shame now?

Salamance could sense his Master's uneasiness. It pleased him. Finally, she was actually realizing how evil she was? How cruel, how hated?

_Maybe she'll let me go…_Salamance mused to himself. He shook the hopes away. _She isn't feeling guilty or anything. She will never let me go, or treat me as a partner. It'll always be Master and Servant playing in this twisted play. And I'm Servant._

A flash of lightning lit up the dark sky, and also put out the light of remorse in the Huntress. _Bah, who cares if he's lived or died? Either way, I've avenged his meddling._

But for some reason, J had a sneaking suspicion that he would try to stop her again. She pushed that away as well. _He's probably too scared to even try to stop me. Be ready, Unova…the Huntress is has arrived and his back in action. _

At this thought J promptly threw her head back and cackled, and even the loudest roar of thunder couldn't drown out the horrible laughter.

Salamance let out a whimper which was left unheard. _Oh no…oh no…oh no…_, he grieved, and the same two words seemed to echo over and over in his ears, like a mythical chant, _oh no…oh no…oh no…_

**oooooooooooooooo**

**Me; There we have it, the cheesy chapter.**

**Rika; Bravo.**

**Me; Author's Notes!**

**This chapter was difficult to write iauyw…I wrote it back last year, and it took a month to finish. Damn writer's block.**

**We get NegaiShipping and minor Wishful. Yay.**

**Cat-Like was a character I created on a whim. He's basically like Kcalb from Black Adventures, but he's different, obviously. *motions to cat ears* He's basically Ash's evil counterpart, but seeing Ash never got into any situation like the one I wrote, Cat-Like remained hidden, feeding on Ash's woes and rage. But this happened, and boom! Cat-Like could exist. We'll see more of him later. If this is too complicated for you, just think of him as the King of Pokelantis…gone kitty^^'**

**Cat-Like;…I hate my name…anyways, please freaking review, our author is so pitiful she needs reviews for a moral boost—**

**Rena; OHMIGOSH SOOO CUUUUUTE! I'M TAKING YOU HOOME CAT-LIKE!**

**Cat-Like; Unhand me, you fiend!**

**Me; Please review. It makes me happeh.**

**P.S. Speaking of reviews, thank you everyone who's reviewed this story so far. The more reviews I receive, the happier I'll be. Thanks, everyone :D**


	8. Chapter 7

**This is a bit of a breather chapter…after all the crap that happened in the last ones. So please enjoy…while you can ^^**

Chapter Seven

The Battle Tournament 

_After all tears and blood have been shed_

_We set out once more to compete_

_Battles are ready to be had!_

A week passed. Ash recovered fairly well, or at least his injury did. Emotionally, he still needed more time. It was quite difficult for him to adjust to his half-blindness, and to sharpen his other senses was imperative. But it was still hard for the others, too. It was rather difficult to get used to seeing a yawning flesh hole in your friend's face…

oooooooooooooo

"Don Battle Competition at Rightwing Town?" Cilan read aloud rather questionably as he gazed at the poster. The colorful advertisement was stuck to the Pokémon Center wall. Axew popped out of Iris's purple hair and let out a squeak of excitement, "_Ax!_"

Ash's single eye glittered with excitement, "It feels like ages since we did a Battle Competition!" he said cheerfully. Pikachu's cheeks sparked in anticipation, "Pikachu!"

Iris rolled her eyes, "We did one a short time ago, Ash. You're such a little kid sometimes!"

Ash grinned and shook his head in exasperation, "Ah, you got me there…!" he laughed, feeling not at all offended by the usual insult, he was so used to it now. Pikachu smiled and sweat-dropped at the two, "Pika…"

Cilan couldn't help but smile at the pair's antics. _Looks like things are coming back to normal…_

"How about we find the signup area?" Cilan suggested, "A few Competitions aren't going to give a bad aftertaste. It's a good ingredient to anyone's battle experiences."

Iris looked rather annoyed as more of Cilan's "cuisine phrases" were used once more, but both younger Trainers nodded in agreement.

oooooooooooo

After at _least _thirty minutes worth of wandering aimlessly through the city looking for the signup booths (city navigation wasn't Iris's thing, apparently), they found the registering stands were found. Rather relieved to be finished meandering off course, the group looked over the forms for the Competition.

Name:

Hometown:

Pokémon (2):

Cilan debated which of his three Pokémon to leave out when he heard a rather familiar female voice call his name…

"_Bonjour_, Cilan! Have you been well, _garcon_? Well, no more!"

It was his self-proclaimed rival, Burgundy. The Connoisseur turned to the lavender eyed teen behind him and smiled rather nervously, "Hello Burgundy…"

The spunky girl sniffed with disdain at Cilan, "I hope you're ready, because today my revenge will be accomplished!" Burgundy announced rather haughtily. Ash turned to Burgundy, looking rather amused. "Err…Hello Burgundy?"

Burgundy jumped, "_Zut!_ I almost didn't notice you, _garcon_! What happened?"

Ash winced rather noticeably, but didn't reply. Pikachu shot the girl a dirty look with his dark eyes. Burgundy seemed to get the gist and turned to Cilan again, with a rather vengeful look in her eye.

Luckily, before Burgundy could say anything unpleasant, a rather loud voice startled everyone, "_WATCHOUTWATCHOUTWATCHOUTWATC H—_"

Ash, alarmed, jumped backwards and fell, and Bianca Whitechime ran right by him, tripped, and fell. Pikachu tumbled off Ash's shoulder and plopped on the ground. The maladroit blonde rubbed the back of her head rather apologetically as she stood, smiling diffidently at Ash as Iris helped him up. "I'm so sorry, Ash! I'm—"

"It's fine…at least you didn't knock me into a fountain this time!" Ash joked as he dusted himself off. Pikachu stood and cleaned himself with his tail. Bianca huffed, "That's not my fault, it's…um…not mine!"

Iris raised an eyebrow at the wound-up Trainer, "You didn't even hit him, Bianca. You're such a kid!" she reproved. Axew laughed at the scene. "Axew Aaaaaax!"

Before _Bianca_ could say something unpleasant, Ash quickly cut short the argument. "Bianca, how have your travels been? Have you met up with your dad again?"

Bianca smiled rather merrily, "My journey has been getting more and more exciting! Daddy's really happy for me, see?" she said as she pulled out her Badge Case from her bag.

Four shiny badges gleamed in the sunlight; the Insect Badge, a badge called the Intuitive Badge, a badge called the Manifold Badge, and most surprisingly, the Bolt Badge.

There were gasps of respect from the group. "You won Elesa's Badge?" Cilan asked, impressed.

The blonde nodded, "Yup! After training a lot, I decided to have a rematch!"

"Hey Bianca! Wait up!"

The familiar shout made Bianca turn, "Hey, it's not my fault you're so slow!"

Luke Facflic a aapproached, or rather, ran towards, Bianca, looking rather exhausted. His faithful Zorua and Golett were at his heels, also pooped. But he still smiled at the others. "Hey guys, long time no see!"

Burgundy raised an eyebrow. "It's Luke isn't it? You were at the Nimbasa Town competition, right?"

The film enthusiast nodded at the Connoisseuse. "Yeah, and I made a documentary for it!"

"That's funny; I was just about to ask that," Ash commented, "How did the documentary go?"

The sudden look of shock in Luke's died as soon as soon as it appeared as Ash asked the question. "I managed to put it all together. It helped me loads when I was writing the battle scenes for my next movie!" Luke shrugged before continuing, "But I still only have the script…"

He turned to Bianca, "I was going to enter another one, because I missed the other one. Bianca said she was going to enter too."

Bianca nodded, looking rather excited as she bent down and scooped up Luke's Zorua, despite her protests. "I can't wait! I just need to sign up right away. That's why I was in a rush."

Cilan blinked, "Are you two traveling together?"

There was the slightest hint of blush on both Trainers' cheeks as this was added. "Yes…" Luke muttered. Bianca quickly moved out of her embarrassment and scampered to the sign up sheet area after putting Zorua down. "I really need to sign up, bye-bye!"

The entire group sweat-dropped and Luke dashed after the scatty blonde, "Hey, Bianca, wait up!"

"Eww, do I smell a Dragon-Type?" complained a rather bothered voice from behind Iris. The Dragon Trainer turned to see Georgia Icerant, her rival and biggest bête-noir. Axew growled at the redhead, insulted.

Iris flicked a piece of hair out of her face before smiling smugly at the Dragon Buster. "What, still mad about a little loss at the Village of Dragons?" she asked before shrugging indifferently, "Wow, what a kid!"

"Excuse me, but _this_ kid sticks in reality, sister. The loss was no simple loss, smarty. Sorry." Georgia replied, just as conceited. The two began to get the usual lightning in their eyes.

Burgundy shrugged to herself, half-thankful that her relationship with Cilan wasn't like that at all.

Ash felt a slight twinge of annoyance at the two's bickering. "Can you two—"

Georgia turned and glared at Ash. She felt a stab of loathing for the Kanto Trainer for interrupting her quarrel. Even if she wouldn't admit it, she was also still pretty ticked over her loss with him. "Oh hush. This doesn't have anything to do with you!" she growled, and noticing something, she decided to throw in something else as well; "Geez, what happened to your face?! Did you run into a wall?"

Score. Ash cringed at the question. Iris blasted venom at Georgia, "Hey! Shut up!" she snarled at the Dragon Buster. Pikachu glared at the offender.

Georgia shrugged, as indifferent as Iris had been before. "Oh, looks like I've touched a sore spot!" she chuckled, turned and leered at Iris. "I'm not allowed to insult your boyfriend, now, am I?"

"He's not my boyfriend, Georgia! Shut up!"

Ash seemed to squirm at the question. Only Cilan noticed, and he felt puzzled. Normally Ash was indifferent to love. Why was he acknowledging it now?

Luckily, Georgia and Iris went back to shooting lightning from their eyes. Ash let out a soft sigh of relief.

The Kanto Trainer's gaze wandered around the area as Burgundy began to talk with (or rather, threaten) Cilan…until he spotted another familiar face.

Ash's main rival, Trip (the younger Trainer was too distant for one to figure out his surname) was taking pictures of the sign up booths. When he spotted Ash, he lowered his camera, as one would with a weapon if confronted with an enemy—slowly and cautiously.

Ash gave the dirty blonde a small smile and waved him over. Trip approached the Kanto Trainer, looking both nervous and questioning.

"Hey Trip, long time no see, eh?" Ash greeted him. Trip shrugged. "I guess…" he answered.

"Have you gotten any stronger since we last met?" Trip asked. _The normal question._ Ash thought. "Yes…a little, at the very least…"

Trip raised an eyebrow at his raven haired rival. He seemed less confident then when Trip last remembered. _Maybe it has something to do with—_

His train of thought was suspended, however, when Ash spoke again. "So…how many badges do you have now?"

"Seven…seven badges." Trip replied. Ash nodded agreeably. "So do I. I guess that's the first time we've been even?" he joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Trip smiled a little. "Yes, yes it is, isn't it?"

ooooooooooo

"We are pleased to see the number of people participating in the Don Battle Competition in Rightwing Town!" boomed the announcer Freddy O' Martian over the microphone. The Don Battle competitors were gathered up in the stadium, ready to battle. Ash shifted nervously under the stares of the other competitors. _I wonder how I can battle with one eye, though... I know how to navigate a little but…_

"I have Don George here to broadcast alongside me! Don George?"

"Thank you, Freddy. The pleasure is all mine." Don George said as he received the microphone. "Hello everyone, and welcome to the Don Battle Competition of Rightwing Town. We have the match-ups for the first of four rounds!"

"Hey Ash, I didn't see you there. How's its going?" came a voice. Ash and Iris turned to see Stephan Zelecrong standing behind him, grinning. Carefully keeping his missing eye faced away from the competitive Trainer he greeted him, "It's been good, Stephan."

Stephan shrugged and got a rather spirited look in his eyes. "Let's cross our fingers that we'll face off in this tournament, 'kay?"

Ash nodded nervously, "Okay…" he agreed. Inwardly, the Kanto Trainer was worried he wouldn't be able to face the redhead. _I've never battled before with a blind side, will I lose? No! I have to think positively! If I think I'll lose, I most certainly will!_

"Here are the matchups for the first round!" announced Freddy. The large screen in the stadium flashed several Trainers' faces before flipping them over and spinning them around. The cards matched up into pairs; the matchups.

"First we will have Iris versus Bianca!"

The Dragon Trainer turned and nodded towards the blonde. "Okay, good luck!" she said. Bianca nodded back, "I won't lose!"

"Second, John versus Trip!"

The Trainer looked over towards Trip, "This'll be interesting…" he snickered. Trip rolled his eyes, "This is going to be a disaster…for you anyways…"

"Third, Danny versus Jeffery!"

Danny grinned at Jeffery, "I'll give it my all!" he promised. Jeffery smiled at the other Trainer, "Yeah, me too.

"Fourth, Cilan versus Stephen!"

"They got my name wrong again…Whatever. I get to battle a Connoisseur and Gym Leader! This is going to be a challenge!" said Stephan, pumped.

Cilan nodded, contented. "Well, well, this will surely be a battle of many different flavor collisions!"

"Fifth, Luke versus Harold!"

"Okay, I've got this one!" Luke hissed under his breath.

Harold shrugged nonchalantly, "A little overconfident, are we?"

"Sixth, Lily versus Lola!"

The two twins looked at each other and cried simultaneously, "I'm winning this!"

"Seventh, Ralph versus Burgundy!"

Ralph looked at the screen and nodded, "Okay, this'll be fun!" he commented.

Burgundy scoffed. "This is an outrage! Ah, well," she turned and smiled deviously at Cilan, "My revenge will come soon enough!"

"Great…I can't wait…" Cilan mumbled, face feeling hot.

"Finally, we will have Georgia versus Ash!"

"Again?! And you don't even have a Dragon Type…" pouted Georgia, "and you've only got half a face! What kind of a victory will this be?"

Ash growled at her, "A hard one to get, that's what!" he spat in reply.

Iris jeered at Georgia, "Come on, you think you're going to win this easy? What a kid!"

Georgia straightened up, and sneered at Ash, "This _is_ going to be easy for a kid like me. Just watch…"

Ash gulped and turned away; worry gnawing at the back of his mind. _This probably won't go very well for me…_

ooooooooo

_Iris versus Bianca…_

"Axew, use Scratch on Minccino!"

"Minccino, counter with Double-Slap!"

Axew's claws glowed white, as did Minccino's tail. The two rushed at each other, and they collided. Axew head butted Minccino, sending the Chinchilla Pokémon sprawling. Iris nodded in approval. "Good job, Axew! Now use Dragon Rage!"

The Tusk Pokémon shut his eyes and a blue glow charged in his body. Minccino stood up weakly. The battle had been going back and forth for a while now.

"Minccino, use Swift!" Bianca called out. The Normal Type jumped into the air and swung his long tail, sending a ray of stars. Axew spat out a large blue flame at the incoming attack.

The two collided, smoke flew through the air, and Iris quickly commanded Axew again. "Now Axew, Scratch, nonstop!"

The little Dragon Type jumped through the smoke at Minccino, and began scratching him repeatedly. He cried out in pain, but Axew didn't let up until he sent Minccino to the ground. Minccino stood up, only to collapse again, knocked out.

"Minccino in unable to battle! Axew wins and the victory goes to Iris!"

Iris high-fived Axew smiling. "Way to go, Axew!" she praised. Bianca returned Minccino, pouting, "Oh, why?! It's not fair!"

_John versus Trip…_

"Liepard, use Night Slash!"

"Lampet, dodge it!"

The Cruel Pokémon unsheathed her claws and brought the glowing black shredders down, only to slash open air. Lampet floated behind Liepard, eyes glowing maliciously. Trip quickly commanded his Pokémon, "Lampet, use Flamethrower!"

The Ghost-Fire Type spat a barrage of fire at the opposing Dark Type. Leipard didn't even stand a chance against the powerful attack. Throughout the whole battle, Lampet had worn her out from its dodges and surprise attacks.

"Liepard is unable to battle! Lampet wins and the victory goes to Trip!"

Trip nodded and returned his Pokémon, muttering praise. John shrugged and returned his Pokémon, "Oopsies, got a little cocky there…"

_Danny versus Jeffery…_

"Swanna, use Air Slash!"

"Duosin, Protect!"

Swanna slashed her wings across the air, and a blue slice raced at Duosin, only to vanish on contact on Duosin's green Protect. Swanna flew around the battle field, looking for an opening. Duosin had been dodging and blocking for quite some time now.

"Swanna, use Double Team, then Water Pulse!" commanded Danny. The White Bird Pokémon promptly made copies of herself, surrounding Duosin. The Psychic Type whirled around in circles, nervous. Jeffery decided to try something. "Duosin, Thunder Wave them all!"

Duosin sent an electric wave across the battle field. Or at least was going to. A blue orb of water shot out of the sky, making contact with the Mitosis Pokémon. Swanna had been high in the sky the whole time!

"Oh no!" cried Jeffery.

Danny smiled at the worried Trainer, "Oh yes! Wing Attack!"

Swanna flew at Duosin and slapped him repeatedly with her wings, now glowing white. Duosin fainted by the fourth slap.

"Duosin is unable to battle! Swanna is the winner, and the victory goes to Danny!"

"Good job Swanna!" praised Danny. Jeffery shrugged at Duosin, who smiled back. "Oh well…we tried…"

_Cilan versus Stephan…_

"Alright, Sawk, use Double Kick!"

"Stunfisk, use Thundershock!"

Sawk lashed out his legs in an attempt to kick Stunfisk, but the Trap Pokémon shocked the Fighting Type will a powerful jolt of electricity before jumping away. Sawk ended up kicking the earth instead, sending sand high into the air.

"Okay then, Stunfisk, Mud Bomb!" commanded Cilan. Stunfisk leapt into the air and spat a large ball of mud at Sawk (grody). The Karate Pokémon tried to block, but it exploded, and he was knocked to the floor.

"Sawk, get up and use Close Combat, I know you can!" Stephan called out to his Pokémon. Sawk stood up and launched at Stunfisk, battering the Ground-Electric Type with a barrage of kicks and punches. Stunfisk flopped on the ground.

"Stunfisk, use Thundershock again!" commanded Cilan, rather fearfully. Stunfisk jumped into the air and slammed into Sawk before shocking him again. Sawk fell at last after the long battle of wills.

"Sawk is unable to battle! Stunfisk wins and the victory goes to Cilan!"

Cilan straightened his bow tie rather smugly. "That's how we do it!" he said, and Stunfisk grunted in agreement.

"Thanks Sawk. You did well, buddy." Stephan said rather sadly as he returned his Pokémon. "Gah, I guess I lost…Oh well!"

_Luke versus Harold…_

"Golett, use Shadow Punch!"

"Vanilluxe, Ice Beam!"

Golett launched a shadowy fist at Vanilluxe, which the Ice-Type tried to freeze. The fist was covered with ice. Wincing, Golett punched Vanniluxe, regardless. The Snowstorm Pokémon backed off in response.

"Golett, don't let it get away! Gyro Ball!" Luke commanded. Golett's arms and feet glowed brightly before he curled up into a ball and he rammed into Vanniluxe.

"Vanniluxe, use Harden, quick!" yelped Harold, his confidence quickly draining. Vanniluxe's skin became rock solid, and no matter how many times Golett ran into him, Vanniluxe took little damage.

Luke growled in frustration. He certainly wasn't going to lose this round! "Golett, use Double Team!"

Golett made several copies of himself, and they all quickly surrounded Vanniluxe, much to his confusion. Luke didn't miss a beat, "All together, Shadow Punch!"

Every copy and the real Golett smashed a shady fist on Vanniluxe. Even Harden couldn't protect him against it.

"Vanniluxe is unable to battle! Golett wins, and the victory goes to Luke!"

Luke let out a sigh of relief. "We did it Golett!"

Harold smiled warmly, "Ha, I guess I was the overconfident one…"

_Lily versus Lola…_

"Cottonee, use Razor Leaf!"

"Petilil, use Magical Leaf!"

The two Grass Type's attacks collided in midair. Lily quickly took charge, "Cottonee, attack Petilil with Stun Spore!"

Cottonee released a yellow powder from his leaves, and it floated towards Petilil. Lola wasn't going to lose, however. "Petilil, blow it away!"

Petilil used the leaves on her head to makes a gust, and the Stun Spore was blown away.

"Cottonee, use Mega Drain!" commanded Lily. The Cotton Puff Pokémon discharged a long green glowing thread at Petilil, ready to suck the little Grass Type's energy.

"Petilil, use Growth, then Magical Leaf!" ordered Lola. Petilil grew twice the size it had been, startling poor Cottonee to stopping the attack, only to regret it when the now giant Bulb Pokémon sent a salvo of glowing, razor-sharp leaves at her.

"Cottonee is unable to battle! Petilil wins, and the victory goes to Lola!"

"Yay, we won!" cried Lola to Petilil.

Lily sulked as did Cottonee, "Boo, we lost…"

_Ralph versus Burgundy…_

"Quick, get it Whirlipede, Poison Sting!"

"Stoutland, dodge and use Fire Fang again!"

Whirlipede tried to attack Stoutland with Poison Sting, but his burn made him cry out in pain. Stoutland and Burgundy smirked as the Loyal Dog Pokémon's fangs were covered with flames, and Stoutland sank them into Whirlipede's hide. The Bug-Poison Type screamed in pain as the burn was agitated, but Burgundy wasn't done yet. "Now, Stoutland, Tackle!"

The Normal Type slammed into Whirlipede hard, and he was sent skidding to the ground. Stoutland didn't even get a scratch.

"Whirlipede is unable to battle! Stoutland wins, and the victory goes to Burgundy!"

"_Oi_, way to go, Stoutland! Now revenge is ever closer!" extolled Burgundy, giving Cilan the evil eye as she did so. The Connoisseur laughed nervously, but said nothing. Ralph sighed in defeat as he returned his Pokémon, "Heh…that was pretty good Whirlipede…"

_Georgia versus Ash…_

The two Trainers approached the field, standing on their respective sides. () turned towards Don George, looking excited. "Don George, are you as excited for the last match as I am?"

"I couldn't be more. This is going to be a thrilling battle." Don George replied.

Georgia smiled evilly at Ash, "Well, where did that confidence go? You don't look so sure of yourself."

Ash glared venomously back at her. "We'll see…" he murmured to himself as he reached for a Poké-Ball. Georgia did the same.

Georgia tossed her Poké-Ball into the air, "Beartic, let's go!" she shouted, and her favorite Pokémon appeared in the field. He resembled a large pure white polar bear, standing up on his hind legs. His front paws had grey pads and claws, as were his nose and small eyes. He had a short beard of ice clinging to the bottom of his muzzle.

Ash tossed his Poké-Ball into the air, "Oshawott, I choose you!" he yelled, and his cute Otter Pokémon materialized onto the field in a flash of red. Oshawott looked up at the large Ice-Type in front of him and shivered in terror.

Freddy once again turned to Don George, "Don George, what do you see in this match?" he asked the man beside him. Don George's eyes narrowed as he replied, "Beartic's Ice Type moves won't have a lot of affect on a Water-Type like Oshawott, but Oshawott's Water attacks won't do much to Beartic. Also, Beartic is powerful with offense and defense, but Oshawott is smaller and faster. I'd say its pretty even."

Iris, from the stands, looked back and forth between Ash and Georgia nervously. "This is Ash's first battle with only one eye…" she murmured. Then the Dragon Trainer straightened, cupped her hands over her mouth, and yelled, "You beat her once, Ash! You can do it again!"

Axew nodded with a loud aggressive cry, "_Axew Ax Axew_!"

The referee raised his flags, "Let the Pokémon match begin!"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**Me; Aaah, so many crappy surnames…**

**Cat-Like; Your fault.**

**Me; Shut up. Notes!**

**Bianca's name is simple. Her Japanese name, Bel, means white, and a bell is also something that rings.**

**Luke's surname is a bit of a pun. Another word for imitation is facsimile, and another word for a war is a conflict. Facsimile stands for his Zorua, one of his main Pokemon. War is for Star Wars, due to the fact a character is called Luke. Star Wars was a huge success in movie making, and on Cartoon Network, a movie showing is called a Flick. So keep these in mind when Facflict is mentioned.**

**Georgia is a Dragon Buster, and Dragon Types are weak against Ice-Type moves. Another word for a bully is a tyrant. You'll see why later. To rant means to seethe and go on about something. This is something that Georgia does a lot when it comes to Dragon Types.**

**Stephan's surname is weird. Ze is for zebra, as for his important Blitzle/Zebstrika. Lec is for electricity, seeing that Blitzle is an Electric Type. And rong is for wrong or incorrect, seeing that everyone mysteriously gets his name wrong…*is shot***

**If you look carefully, you'll see that I have woven some reactions/stopped reactions to Ash's injury. But of course, the majority of them are kind about it because they're civil (sort of, anyways) people, and Bianca is too ditzy to really notice. Except for Georgia…this brings me to something else.**

**True, it seems like I'm embellishing Georgia's malicious nature, but Ash defeated her in a past Don Battle match, and he's apparently irritated her, so she decided to pinpoint a weakness…like Iris and her hair ^^'. Don't kill me, Georgia fans. *hides* **

**There's going to be more crap happening in the next chapter, so…yeah ^^'**

**Zorua; Please review; it makes us all happy, tee-hee!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the delay for this chapter. I got it mixed up with another one. This one isn't a very happy chapter. Just saying.**

Chapter Eight

Gloomier, Gloomiest

_A battle is about to begin_

_And a savagery is about be unleashed_

_To the suffering, will there be a Fin?_

"Oshawott, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded. Oshawott jumped in the air before spitting a powerful stream of water. Georgia didn't even seem fazed. "Beartic, use Ice Beam to counter!"

Beartic opened his large jaws and a blue-white beam shot out, freezing the Water Gun attack. The ice stream clattered to the ground.

Oshawott cringed at this. His Water attacks were useless unless he could get up close…

"Oshawott, use Tackle!" Ash commanded, fear edging his voice. The Water Type launched himself at Beartic with stunning power and slammed into his stomach. The Freezing Pokémon reeled back, wheezing.

"Beartic, shake it off and use Slash!" Georgia yelled to her Pokémon. Beartic straightened and his claws enlarged, and they now glowed a bright white. He launched his paw at Oshawott, who dodged in the nick of time. Panting, the Sea Otter Pokémon turned back towards his enemy. Beartic leered at him. Oshawott cringed again. The Pokémon felt a wave of terror for his opponent.

Ash could sense Oshawott's fear for the larger Pokémon. Georgia could too, apparently, as she quickly took charge of the battle. "Beartic, Slash again!"

The Ice-Type's claws lashed out at Oshawott. He jumped and dodged, but Beartic was too vigorous. Oshawott was flung to the ground, those evil claws right behind him.

From the stands, Pikachu could be heard shrieking encouragement. "_Pikapi Pikachu!_" he shouted, clearly concerned. Axew whimpered as he watched. Cilan looked rather worried himself. "Neither of their attacks will do much damage…and Oshawott is smaller than Beartic…he can't dodge all the time."

Iris's ginger eyes were glittering with hatred as she gazed at Georgia. The Dragon Buster wore a smug expression, which ticked Iris to the core. "Come on Ash, you can do it!"

Ash's single eye darted towards Iris before flicking back to Oshawott. He swallowed as Georgia's relentless Beartic's Slash attacked Oshawott. The poor Water-Type was exhausted. Ash growled softly.

"Looks like Ash is in a tight spot, eh Don George?" commented Freddy. Don George nodded. "Yes, Beartic's relentless attacks aren't letting up the slightest on Oshawott. I wonder if he can pull himself together…"

"Oshawott, hang in there! Use Water Gun in Beartic's face!" Ash shouted over Beartic's grunts and Oshawott's yelps. The Water Type flipped over and a steam of water smacked Beartic in the face, blinding him.

"Now's our chance, Oshawott! Use Razor Shell!"

Oshawott grabbed his scalchop off his stomach and had the tan shell morph into a blue glowing sword before leaping at Beartic. He slashed at Beartic over and over, and the Ice-Type roared in pain.

Georgia scowled at the nuisance. "Geez, you're annoying. How can you win when you can only see out of half your face? Beartic, get into his blind side!"

As Ash was stunned by the insult, Beartic slithered away from Oshawott and into Ash's left side….where Ash had no eye.

"And Georgia takes advantage and makes a break for it!" Freddy called out from his perch. Don George nodded with a grunt but said nothing.

Iris shot Georgia a look that could kill. "Georgia, you're playing dirty!" she snarled, and Axew let out a loud yowl of agreement. Pikachu's cheeks were sparking.

Ash felt a twinge of frustration and he gritted his teeth and tried to point his good eye in Beartic's direction. _Darn it! Beartic is going to staying my blind side during the battle now! This is foul play… _"Oshawott, attack with Aqua Jet!"

Unbeknownst to Ash, Oshawott was stuck in Beartic's jaws. "Oshawott Osha Wott!" he wailed as he struggled. Ash felt himself begin to sweat. "Son of a—"

_**Come on now, I expected more from my other self,**_ came a voice. Ash jolted with shock as the world seemed to stop. _What…?_

_**Come, come, don't forget me already…remember me?**_ The voice taunted. Ash growled in a rather ferocious manner. _Cat-Like!_

_**That's a stupid nickname.**_ Complained the voice. Meanwhile, Oshawott wriggled in Beartic's grasp. The voice began to ridicule Ash. _**That's so pathetic of you. Can't you even battle with only one eye? I'm rather disappointed.**_

_Shut up…_Ash thought desperately. _Shut up…_ "Oshawott…" he whispered, feeling a quivering inside him. _Crud…_

Cilan's eyes narrowed. "This isn't going to end well for Ash at all…" he muttered. Burgundy's voice made him turn, "Oi, what happened to when he wiped out my flavors in the other tournament?" the Connoiseuse commented aloud. "This…isn't even fair."

"You could say that again…!" snarled Iris. She gritted her teeth, feeling a deep fury begin to build. _Georgia, when I get my hands on you…_

"Let's wrap this up, Beartic! Rock Smash!" Georgia commanded. The Ice-Type smiled maliciously as he paws began to glow an orange shade. He tossed Oshawott out of his mouth and socked Oshawott back into Ash's view. His single eye widened. "Oshawott…!"

"Oshawott is unable to battle! Beartic wins, and the match goes to Georgia!" announced the referee. Ash shut his eye before returned Oshawott. "Thanks Oshawott, you deserve a good rest…"

He opened his eye to Georgia's smirk. "Pity you didn't have a Dragon-Type. How does it feel to lose to the Dragon Buster_, LostFace?_"

"….!

…._**pathetic….**_"

oOo

Ash adjusted his hat rather uncomfortably as he waited for Nurse Joy to return his Oshawott to him. He didn't bother to stick around for the match-ups. The Kanto Trainer was more concerned about Oshawott's condition, and what Georgia said.

_LostFace? _He thought to himself, _Am I really that ugly? I haven't even looked at my reflection since the incident…! Is that why people keep staring at me?_

Ash felt a wave of uncertainty inside him. Pikachu chirped softly and patted his Trainer's head, shifting his position on the Kanto Trainer's shoulder. Ash stroked the Electric Type's yellow head in response.

"Hey, Ash, you okay?" came a voice from behind me. The raven haired boy didn't bother turning around. "Yeah, I'm fine, Luke…really…"

"It doesn't sound like it," was his rather worried reply. "Iris was fuming and she went after Georgia. I seriously think she's out for the kill…"

"Iris probably won't kill Georgia."

"Probably?"

"…."

Ash snorted and turned back to Nurse Joy, who had approached the counter, holding Oshawott's Poké-Ball. "Here's your Pokémon, perfectly healthy~"

"Thank you." Ash said gratefully as he received the Poké-Ball from her. Pikachu squeaked in relief. Ash turned back to Luke again. "Where is everyone, anyways?"

Luke pointed behind him. "They're in the café area to eat dinner. I decide to fetch you." he replied. Ash sighed and hooked the Poké-Ball back to his belt. "So…let's go?"

Luke nodded and waved him over. "Follow me."

"Hey, Ash, looks like Luke found you, eh?" commented Stephan as Ash walked in. The Kanto Trainer snorted in amusement, "Yeah, looks like it."

The group was sitting the same area of tables. Pikachu hopped onto the ground by the table. Burgundy patted a seat by her. Noticing the rather unappealing absence of Iris, he sat down beside her. "Hey, where's Iris?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's going to kill Georgia. Zut, she has temper issues…" Burgundy replied. Ash tittered at the remark. Then he turned, "Um, congratulations for winning the first round, eh?"

The Connoiseuse nodded confidently. "_Merci_! Soon, I'll get full revenge on Cilan for sure!"

Ash laughed nervously, but said nothing. _She's eager for revenge, isn't she…?_ He thought to himself, feeling somewhat lucky he had a rival who was quite the opposite.

"Hey Ash," came a voice. Both Ash and Burgundy turned to see Cilan approaching them. "Hey Cilan." Ash greeted the Connoisseur. Burgundy merely sniffed, and Ash laughed again.

"Hey, Zorua, where are you~?" came a singsong voice. Bianca was looking for Luke's Zorua.

"Déjà vu…" Ash muttered, smiling weakly.

"_Oi_…" agreed Burgundy, and Cilan face-palmed. Bianca didn't seem to notice and kept walking, calling out Zorua's name in a sweet and charming tone. Luke groaned and stood up to follow the lively blonde.

_Heh, looks like things are the way they always have been…_ Ash thought to himself. _No matter what happens, I shall always treasure these memories forever…_

The Kanto Trainer laughed quietly to himself at the melancholy thought. This wasn't like him… _ha-ha, maybe I'm getting old~_

After a while, Iris came back from her hunt, looking annoyed. Axew hopped out of her hair and onto the floor, next to Pikachu. Ash raised an eyebrow. "Well, did you find her?"

"No!" came Iris's outraged reply. "I can't find her anywhere!"

Ash blinked, "Really? I think you missed a spot." He replied. She shot him a filthy look. "Your such a little kid for—"

"I actually haven't seen Georgia since the match ended," cut in Stephan, in a successful attempt to save Ash from the Dragon Trainer's wrath. "Maybe she went on a walk or something?"

Iris shook her head scornfully, "She's probably hiding from me…!" she growled. Axew made a chirping noise from where he was sitting.

Ash shook his own head, in disagreement, "Georgia probably isn't hiding…"

Cilan nodded in agreement, "Ash is right. Georgia would probably rather take it head on rather than hide…"

Stephan shrugged before leaving, saying something about getting more food to eat. Ash sweatdropped.

Burgundy snorted with disbelief, "_Zut_! Your rivalry with Georgia is worse than mine with Cilan!"

Cilan gave an uneasy smile at the comment, Ash rolled his eye at the scene, Iris muttered darkly under her breath, and Burgundy shrugged nonchalantly.

At this point Trip approached the group. Ash smiled at the younger Trainer and tapped the seat beside him. "Sit down, Trip."

Trip seemed to consider this for a few seconds before sitting beside his rival. His grey eyes darted around the room, but he said nothing.

"So, what do you think of tomorrow's matchups?" asked Burgundy.

Trip turned to the Connoiseuse. "Apparently you're going up against Luke, Burgundy. I wonder who will win…" Trip commented, more to himself than Cilan's rival.

Burgundy sniffed, "Of course I'm going to be the victor. The more wins, the close my victory against Cilan arrives!"

Cilan smiled warmly, "Well, we'll see…best of luck to both of you!" he said affectionately to the two. Was it his imagination, or was Burgundy blushing?

Ash wasn't paying attention, or maybe he didn't care. He was rather irked by his loss with Georgia. It was bothering him. _I wonder why Cat-Like appeared just when I was losing? Was he trying to help me win? Or am I looking too deeply into this?_

"So, which one of you guys made it to the final round? I can't really remember~" came a voice. Ash cursed inwardly as Georgia walked into the room, smiling smugly. Iris sprang and looked like she was going to attack Georgia. Ash stood and set a hand on her shoulder to restrain her.

Georgia made the act of thinking hard, "Let's see, Luke, Burgundy, Cilan, and luckily, you Iris. I would like to battle you and your Dragon-Types during this tournament."

Ash raised an eyebrow, and released Iris. Pikachu hopped onto the table, closely followed by Axew.

"Pity we didn't battle in the match today, and we're not going to battle tomorrow either. I'm kind of disappointed." Georgia commented. Ash snorted in reply. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Georgia glared at him, "I was hoping for a more competent battle with a Dragon-Type, and not a battle with a weak half-blind opponent like you."

Ash made a noise like an angry cat, and Pikachu's cheeks began sparking. Cilan and Burgundy started, and Axew let out a yelp. Iris shot Georgia a look that could kill.

"What…?!" Ash said, and didn't even notice how hard he was shaking. Iris blasted venom at the Dragon Buster, "Look, Ash _isn't _weak and, and you should _just shut up!_"

Georgia didn't seem daunted, "Well, it's true, isn't it LostFace?"

That did it. Ash's hand clenched into a fist, and before anyone could react, he bolted out of the room without a word.

"Hey, Ash!"

"Pikapi!"

oOo

Ash leaned against a tree behind the Pokémon Center, lost in thought. He knew it had been stupid of him to bolt, but he had thought more criticism would come out of it. So instead of facing the trouble, the Kanto Trainer merely ran away. It had just been the easiest thing to do.

The words Georgia had said were racing through his head over and over, like a repetitive old tape. He half-sat, half-collapsed on the ground.

"_I was hoping for a more competent battle with a Dragon Type, not a battle with a weak half-blind opponent like you."_

"_Well, it's true, isn't it LostFace?"_

Ash started as these words coursed through his mind. _LostFace? Is that what I look like? I haven't even seen myself after…after…since my eye was torn from me! Is it really that… bad?_

"Hey, Ash, are you okay?"

Ash jolted as Iris's voice floated from behind him. The Kanto Trainer turned and saw her, ginger gaze full of concern.

Iris approached him, and sat by him, ignoring his mutters of protest. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she spoke, "Ash… are you okay?" she repeated. Ash buried his face into his knees in an attempt to hide his blush and sudden surge of tears. "Yeah…?"

There was a lengthy and thoughtful silence before Iris spoke again, "Hey, about what Georgia said…"

"I don't care," Ash interrupted, "That jerk can say anything she wants, it won't upset me."

Iris let out a rather exasperated sigh, "You're lying." she replied, squeezing his shoulder slightly. "I think you actually aren't that bulletproof."

Ash snorted and looked up, "Well, I'm only human, aren't I?"

Iris blinked at the philosophic statement. "I suppose…" she muttered. Then the Dragon Trainer remembered something. "Oh, yeah! I found this in the Pokémon Center…"

She dug her other hand into her bag and withdrew a blue checkered bandanna. Ash raised his eyebrow, but said nothing.

Sighing at his clueless-ness, Iris adjusted herself so she was behind Ash. He jerked in surprise, but she ignored him and gently tied the navy cloth around the injured side of his face. With the bandanna secured, Iris returned to her previous position. After scrutinizing the baffled Ash for a while, she nodded and smiled at him, "It's perfect!"

The bandanna covered the disfigurement on Ash's face. The Kanto Trainer lifted a hand to feel the cloth, before smiling at his companion. It was the most genuine smile Ash had displayed since he was mauled. "Thanks Iris!"

The moonlight seemed to illuminate their relief.

oOo

Later that night, everyone was asleep. The two had entered the Pokémon Center late that night and silently vowed to say nothing about what had happened between them. It had been a rather touching yet embarrassing situation.

Cilan, however, was still awake. As he slipped on his Shadow Triad costume, he remembered what had happened those many nights ago…

"_I know, Chili…I know…"_

"_I'm glad you understand." Cress straightened as he said this. "Master Ghetsis is concerned. There are still a lot of people who refuse to liberate their Pokémon. Even with our negative evaluations and Master's speeches, a lot of people aren't listening."_

_Cilan gasped, "How? Is someone encouraging them? Is someone discouraging us? Or both?"_

"_Both, unfortunately…" replied Cress sadly, "Several Trainers encourage people to keep their Pokémon and ignore Master's speeches. Even Lord N is starting to get frustrated."_

_Cilan shivered. Usually N was calm and serene. To see him lose his temper was definitely something he would rather not see. A thought suddenly came to him, "This means it's time for us to come out of the shadows, isn't it? At least, that's the fragrance I've received from the conversation."_

"_Indeed. We're scheduled to meet with Master Ghetsis and Lord N in a few days, during the half moon, near Rightwing Town."_

"_We're actually heading in that direction now," reported Cilan. "We're sure to get there in time."_

_All three nodded in agreement before heading back to where they had come from. Cilan moved back to the camp._

Cilan silently leapt out of the window of the room and snuck through the trees. The half-moon was high in the sky, pulsing faintly. Glancing back to make sure no one was tailing him, the Connoisseur continued on his way until he met up with a clearing, hidden by many a cluster of trees. Chili and Cress, also in their Shadow Triad clothing, were there as well.

Ghetsis Harmonia and his son, N, were there as well. His single red eye seemed to pierce the three. The other was covered by a steel and ruby monocle. "Greetings Shadow Triad. You're aware of what has led me to call the three of you here, correct?"

"Yes, Master Ghetsis." All three brothers replied simultaneously. N approached the trio somewhat cautiously, "People are preventing Pokémon from reaching their rightful liberation. We need you to take a step forward with this. You'll have to take the Pokémon… by force."

Cilan swallowed hard. His usual pride always seemed to melt away in the presence of his Lord and Master. "If…If I may be so bold, but… by force, what are you suggesting?"

N's green eyes observed the Connoisseur with such intensity that Cilan didn't dare to look up. "I mean…steal them. Quickly."

"Is someone else stealing the Pokémon for their own benefit?" asked Cress. Ghetsis nodded at the Water Type specialist. "Indeed. There have been sightings… of a Pokémon Hunter and disappearances of Pokémon. We will have to stop them if we are to succeed in our goal."

Cilan jerked. His mind was racing, _Pokémon Hunter? Could… could Master Ghetsis be talking about Pokémon Hunter J? If so…_

Cilan hid his smile from his Master. _If so I'll gladly fight as a member of Team Plasma to take her down!_

oOo

**Me; Longish chapter is long. Weird cliffhanger is weird.**

**Cat-Like; Oh crap.**

**Me; Notes~!**

**Georgia is so evil, or at least I portray her to be. I'm sorry, but I warned you in the last chapter. I think I went overboard here, and, well, you know…This was written before I saw her later appearances, where she became nicer. For that, I apologize...**

**LostFace is a HUGE reference to Warriors; [SPOILER] this was the same name Bluestar gave to Brightheart after she lost her eye to a pack of dogs (See what I did there?). Of course, her name was changed to Brightheart later, but still…that's a hard name to carry on your shoulders.**

**NegaiShipping is there at the end. I had originally intended to not connect Iris with the bandanna in anyway, but hell, I guess I did. Oh well, at least NegaiShippers will be happy.**

**We also have more Shadow Triad!Cilan and his brothers. I'm trying to keep in touch with that plot point; it'll be there for a while. Keep an eye on it; it'll become important later.**

**I don't think I have much to say here except, bye!**

**Oh yeah, I do have something else to say. WHERE ARE ALL YOU ANON REVIEWERS COMING FROM?! **

**Either way, I love you all, and thank you for your kind words~!**

**Oshawott; Review, everybody!**


	10. Chapter 9

**This chapter is painfully short, and has a really crappy title, but the next chapter is really long, so I think I will be fully able to appease the wrath of the lot of you…More craziness ensues, and someone jumps to an insane deduction of how to handle their situation…a really impulsive one at that. Wondering who that is? Read on to find out~!**

ooooooooo

Chapter Nine

Plotting

_Meanwhile during tournament scuffle_

_The Hunter schemes on a plan_

_Sense of moral is going to muffle…_

Hunter J strutted through the dark forest, a black cloak covering her face and body. She was pondering over her apparent revenge. It didn't feel like she had gotten the full taste. The Huntress suddenly stiffened when she heard a voice drift from the trees.

"Well, I'm only human, aren't I?"

J's heart plummeted. _The brat! So tearing out his eye wasn't enough…_ she thought viciously. His voice sounded somewhat philosophic, somewhat playful. Definitely what she didn't want.

_Well, I suppose I'll have to try something else, but what to do… I can't kill him… yet. Let's see…_

Hunter J left the area, these thoughts churning through her skull like a typhoon. As she departed the edge of town, she decided to move on and think about… the tournament. After all, there were a lot of Pokémon there. It was the perfect opportunity to take some valuable Pokémon.

"Hey, excuse me; do you know where the nearest town is?"

J turned to see a young brunette woman talking to her. J felt a surge of haunting knowing as she looked in her ginger eyes. "The nearest town," J replied, "Is just over there." she pointed behind her. The woman nodded gratefully. "Thank you! My name is Delia. What's yours?"

J paused for a few moments before speaking. "Jennifer." She said evenly. Delia nodded again. "Jennifer. Oh, yes, have you happened to see my son anywhere?"

This caught J's attention. "What does he look like?"

"He has on a hat with a Poké Ball on it, and he has a Pikachu with him. His name is Ash."

J's heart plummeted for the second time that night. "…I do believe I saw him in town somewhere."

Delia smiled warmly at J. "Thank you again!" she said appreciatively before hurrying in the direction of Rightwing Town. J felt her lip curl. _That was the brat's mother! I thought I knew those eyes!_

_What can I do with this information? I have to make a decision quick, for if I don't do anything, the brat will screw with my plans again…!_

A cruel smile began to form on the Huntress's face. _If I kill his mother… nothing can be so painful if he can do nothing about it!_

J soft laughter was emphasized by the cool night wind, blowing her pleasure around her.

oooooo

"_We are sorry to announce that the rest of the Tournament has been canceled due to a certain calamity_." boomed a voice through the Pokémon Center. Ash's single eye glittered with uncertainty. "Canceled? What for?"

"Maybe if you hush we'll find out!" Iris hissed in reply. "You're such a kid!"

Ash clapped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry!" he squeaked. Pikachu and Axew raised an eyebrow at each other at their Trainer's feet. With sigh of exasperation at the two, Cilan turned his attention back to the announcement.

"_Apparently, some of the competitors' entered Pokémon have been stolen. We are planning on sending a search party. Until then, we apologize for the inconvenience_."

Cilan blinked. He and his brothers had snuck into the Center and released Pokémon, not stolen them. _Did J come here too?_

Ash and Iris looked nervously at each other. "Pokemon were stolen?" they both cried out simultaneously. Axew whimpered and hid behind Pikachu.

"Gah, this is _bete, garcon_! My Stoutland was stolen!" came Burgundy's voice from behind him. He turned to the Connoisseuse. She looked outraged. "My poor Pokémon!"

Cilan felt sweat begin to bead up on his forehead. They hadn't taken her Stoutland either. Obviously J had come, and had gotten what she had come for; valuable Pokémon.

Luke approached the group. "Hey guys, I think something else might be going on. Other than the stealing."

Ash's bandanna rustled with the movement as he turned to face the young director. "Yeah? Like what?"

Luke's eyes became stony. "I was planning on using my Leavanny for my match but…" his voice trailed off, and he looked uncertain.

Ash seemed to catch on. "You mean Leavanny wasn't stolen?" he asked quietly.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, he was released."

Pikachu and Axew gasped at the words. Released? Not stolen?

Iris turned, ginger eyes piercing. "What?! Are you saying someone released your Pokémon?"

Luke nodded again, miserable. Cilan felt sudden flood of fear. The Shadow Triad had been here… as did J. The Huntress had stolen, they had released. Would he be found out?

Pikachu and Axew shivered, glad they didn't have Poke-Balls. (While we're at it, why not?)

Burgundy raised an eyebrow. "Why would someone release your Leavanny when they could steal it?" she questioned.

Before Luke, or anyone for that matter, could answer, Bianca hurried in, her green eyes wide with terror. "Luke, I can't find Zorua or my Minccino anywhere!"

Luke jolted, "You mean they were stolen?"

"I don't know, but can you help me look?"

He nodded, and the pair quickly ran off, searching for Zorua and Minccino. The remaining four pondered the curious predicament. Why were there both stolen and released Pokémon? Well, the other three did, Cilan already knew the answer. But he wasn't planning on saying anything, for fear he would give himself and his brothers away.

After some ideas were thrown out, Ash came upon a sudden thought. "Hey, I don't think there's someone stealing and releasing Pokémon at the same time."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that there are two people, or groups, doing this. One releasing, one stealing."

Burgundy nodded at the suggestion, "That's a smart idea. Who stole and who released, then?"

Cilan pretended to think, but he was beginning to worry. _They could figure out that one of us are involved…and that one is me._

"A Pokémon Hunter?" Burgundy suggested after a while. Pikachu's ears twitched and a small growl rumbled from him. Ash seemed to droop at the words. "Oh dear…I think your right…"

"Then who released, then?" Iris asked. Ash's single eye narrowed into a slit before answering. "The same people who go around saying its right. Team Plasma."

Cilan felt his stomach tighten. _Dang it! He hit it right on the head! We could be found out!_

Burgundy and Iris nodded. "True, they're probably behind this, too."

Then the Connoiseuse noticed Cilan seemed to be…off. "Hey, Cilan, are you even listening?"

Cilan jolted, "S-Sorry," he muttered, before perking up. "If the Pokémon were released, they might still be nearby if it was done only last night." He suggested. This was a lie, of course. Ghetsis had them bring the Pokémon "far away from clutching human hands and that Hunter". So it was useless. Cilan felt a rock build up in his stomach at the falsehood, but no one seemed to notice, luckily.

Ash brightened at the older Trainer's suggestion. "That's a good idea, Cilan. We should start looking right away!"

Pikachu hopped onto his Trainer's shoulder with a cry of hostility. The Electric Type wanted to kick butt, and that's precisely what was going to happen. Axew scampered into Iris's hair with a squeak, poking his head out. The younger Pokémon was terrified at the thought of meeting the two villainous sides again. Team Plasma's assault on Castelia City was fresh in his mind, as well as his beating from Hunter J.

Stroking her Dragon Type's head, Iris nodded towards the other three. "Let's start searching now!"

oooooooooooo

The foursome decided to split into different groups of two; Cilan and Burgundy in one group, Ash and Iris in the other. Cilan had organized the groups himself, despite the grumblings from Burgundy. Inwardly, he felt that even though the search was hopeless, he was to act as though it was not so. The Connoisseur knew he was the only one of the group that had any patience for Burgundy, and he knew that Ash and Iris would be a good pair, if you caught his drift.

Burgundy was feeling nervous. Not only was she partnering up with her rival and "enemy", she had a feeling he was lying and hiding something from the rest of them. It was not a good feeling. Not good at all.

Giving herself a shake to bring her back to reality, she turned to face Cilan, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing to wards the bushes and trees around them. "It's hopeless, _garcon_, there is no sign of the missing Pokemon, and we've been searching for hours…!"

The older Trainer shrugged innocently, "I guess they might've run off or something…" he suggested quietly, hoping that his companion would suspect nothing from him.

Burgundy wasn't fooled by the acts of blamelessness. "You know something, don't you?"

Cilan kept the same pure look on his face, "I know just as much as you do, no more, no less." he replied evenly. "Maybe something of powerful flavor scared them away?"

Burgundy didn't let her eyes escape the Connoisseur, even when he began to walk ahead, "That's a thought."

Cilan smiled uneasily. "Then what could have done so?" he said, more to himself than his companion. He could still feel those lilac eyes drilling straight into him, almost like…she knew something…

oooooooooo

Ash balanced erratically on a tree branch, clutching the trunk. Iris sprang beside him from nearby tree. "No sign of them?" she asked. Ash shook his head sadly. "Not a sign at all…" he muttered. Iris shrugged. "Maybe Cilan was wrong?"

Ash turned and hopped down. Iris jumped down after him. "Hey, Ash! Wait up!" she called as she landed neatly beside him. The Kanto Trainer turned before speaking his thoughts, "I don't think Cilan was wrong. It was a good idea."

"But we can't exactly find the Pokemon, can we?"

"Yeah, but…"

Iris blinked. Ash seemed uneasy. The Dragon Trainer was curious. "Ash, where are you going with this?"

Ash swallowed nervously. "I think Cilan's hiding something from us." He replied. Iris shook her head, taken aback by the accusation. But inwardly, she knew it made sense. They had searched for hours and there was no sign of the released Pokémon, and not to mention that the Connoisseur had been quiet during the whole discussion, and he had appeared at random that time when she had apologized to Ash.

Ash suddenly jolted suddenly, "What's that noise?" he asked, sounding nervous. Iris gave him a funny look. "What are you—"

_Crash!_

"_Grooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!"_

"_Paaaaaaaaaaansage!_"

"_Dewott Deeeeeeew!"_

"Pansage!"

"Dewott! _Oh cra_—"

_Groaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!_

By the time the second roar echoed through the forest, Ash and Iris were already sprinting in the direction of the noise.

Oooooooooooooooo

**Me; The next chapter is when crap goes down.**

**Hanyuu; Hau-au-au…I'm scared…**

**Me; Author's notes…**

**Sooo much crap in this chapter, it isn't funny. Cilan is in deep water, J is being an a-hole, and I left you at a cliffhanger. I'm so evil.**

**Cilan is beginning to allow his mask to slide…and that will most certainly not bide well with both himself and Ghetsis. If he secret leaks out, what will he do?**

**The next majority of the next chapter is battling, just a warning. I'm not sure how you all feel about long battling scenes, but LOL, I just hope I won't cause hate from you all.**

**Nothing else to say, except the next chapter is really long and I need to edit a large part of it…majorly. The next update will be…not soon.**

**Hasta la pasta!**

**Axew; Please, please, review! Reviews are really appreciated!**


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